The Tempest
by Kayla2
Summary: This is a Matthew/Destiny/Jack triangle fic.  Yes, Jack, I don't like the way he's been written and Matthew needs some competition.
1. Chapter 1

So, I've been writing and posting this one on the Matt/Des website, Here For You. I wanted to share it with everyone. A few things have changed from present day: 1) they found out Inez killed Eddie Ford, 2) Matt has awaken from his coma and needs quite a bit of physical therapy, 3) Matt was only out for a couple of months and Destiny still has only told three people she is pregnant and 4) Matt acts more like he did when he and Destiny met in 2009. I'm posting this because it's a triangle and I sincerely believe that Matt needed some competition for Destiny's heart. Subsequent chapters will be posted pretty quickly. Honestly, I'm not sure which guy Destiny will end up with (for the version of the story), so, if you have a preference, please speak up.

_The Tempest_

_Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows- William Shakespeare_

Chapter 1

The August sun beamed heavily on Destiny's back as she wiped down the tables at the country club. Once upon a time, she loved her job at the country club. Last year, Nate Salinger, whom she once believed to be her friend, also worked at the country club, which meant her best friend Dani, Nate's girlfriend was always around. Even her then-boyfriend, Darren, showed up and made her laugh regularly. Best of all, Matthew, her other best friend and the love of her life, was a member of the country club, which meant they got to spend plenty of time together during the summer…even if they were just friends.

Somehow, everything went wrong. Matthew believed he killed Eddie Ford, was attacked by Nate and was left with a debilitating brain injury. Nate was now in Statesville prison for attacking Matthew. Dani was doing her best to be a good best friend, but she had so much on her plate. In addition to trying to make sense of Nate's crimes, Dani had just learned that the second man she thought of as her father was a fake. And if the stories in the papers were right, the third of her fathers might have been the worst of them all.

Disaster had taken a toll on her world as well. Somehow she was still trying to make sense of how it turned out that her brother, Greg, was actually her biological father and her parents were in fact, her biological grandparents. Anger had kept her away from them, giving her an excuse to avoid the family drama but the avoidance would have to come to an end soon. Touching her belly, she recalled the biggest change to her circumstance: her pregnancy.

On the night Matthew confessed to her that he was responsible for Eddie Ford's death, they had sex. When Matthew took her hand and led her to his room, she was terrified and excited all at the same time. She'd wanted him for so long and then in that moment he wanted her. Overwhelmed by her feelings, she didn't ask the questions she'd been taught to ask about protection and every Sunday School lesson she'd ever had about abstinence had gone out of the window.

The lessons and questions replayed in her mind daily now; this time she imagined her family repeating them when they learned she was pregnant. Everyone would ask why she hadn't been smarter, stronger, etc…and she would have to face this alone.

At least things were looking up for Matthew…sort of. Although he was at a rehab center in Philadelphia, farther away than Destiny would like him to be, he was making good progress. He was awake. His speech, though slow, was returning. And he was relearning all of his necessary motor skills. His parents had been great to her. They planned some of their trips to the rehab center around her work schedule so that she could ride with them.

And it was during those rides that she felt most guilty. At three months pregnant, she knew she could begin showing at any day. She should tell Matthew's parents and Matthew, now that he was truly conscious, the truth about Matthew's impending fatherhood. But they all had so much to worry about with Matthew's recovery. She had no desire to be an additional burden.

It was bad enough that Vivian, her brother Shaun's girlfriend, kept insisting she tell Shaun about the baby. The truth was if Vivian hadn't figured it out herself she probably wouldn't have told her. Now, she was glad Vivian was one of three of people who knew. Dani and Starr were the other two. Vivian, an obstetrician, made sure she was stocked full of prenatal vitamins and she took care of all of her necessary checkups.

A familiar voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Hey Killer."

It was Becca, the girl Matthew had a crush on freshman year. For a split second, she wondered if Matthew was well enough to have surprised her at the country club. But then she remembered that everyone knew that Matthew hadn't killed Eddie Ford. After further investigation, Matthew's dad, Commissioner Buchanan learned that when Matthew's uncle went to dispose of the gun with which Matthew shot Eddie, Eddie regained consciousness. It turned out he wasn't dead at all…at least he wasn't dead until Nate's mom, Inez, showed up and finished the job.

"The apple doesn't fall to far from the tree, does it Killer?" Justin, Becca's long-time boyfriend, joined her taunting.

Curiosity overtook Destiny as she headed around the corner to see who their latest victim was. And then it all made sense. They were harassing Jack Manning, her best friend Dani's younger brother. And by all accounts, Jack deserved it. He'd bullied Shane Morasco to nearly committing suicide. And even then, the bullying didn't stop. It didn't stop until Jack and his friends accidentally caused the death of Shane's mother, Gigi, when they locked her in a room meant for Shane.

"How does it feel to know your Bermuda shorts should be an orange jumpsuit?" Becca started again.

If it were anyone else, Destiny would dive in and play hero. Still, even though Jack was Dani's brother, he'd been cruel, mean-spirited and unrepentant to Shane throughout the previous school year. Maybe this would teach him what being a victim felt like. She continued to wipe off a nearby table.

"Careful Becca, you know he might have inherited the rape gene from his dad or maybe he's not even the real Jack Manning. Maybe he's a psycho imposter like the guy he used to call his dad."

"Why don't you knock it off?" Jack finally responded. Being Todd Manning's kid had exposed him to similar taunts since the kids he went to school with were old enough to read. It was in seventh grade that Jack decided that if everyone was going to make him the bad guy, he'd play the role to perfection…just like his dad. Still, it didn't make the taunts hurt any less.

Destiny noticed the look on Jack's face and decided she had heard enough. Sure Jack was a punk, but in her heart she knew he hadn't meant to kill Gigi Morasco. She also knew he was going through a really bad time with the discovery that the dad who raised him was a fake. Heading directly for Justin and Becca she placed her hands on her hips.

"Seriously? You guys haven't grown up at all since freshman year? Why don't you get a life?"

Destiny's voice surprised Jack. She was his sister, Dani's, best friend and she'd been spending a lot of time with their older sister, Starr, lately. What surprised him was that Destiny had seen him do a lot of horrible things to Shane…things he was now ashamed of and yet, she was still coming to his defense.

Justin smirked, "And why don't you go on a diet, Density? Looks like you're piling on the pounds again."

Jack was a tall 16 year-old and when he stood up and hovered over the lounge chairs where Justin and Becca taunted, his body cast a shadow over them both. "You want to see how much like both of my fathers I am? You say one more thing to Destiny. You think I should be in prison? I dare you to give me one more reason to be."

"Whatever." Justin said as he grabbed Becca's hand. "Let's get out of here."

"Well," Destiny sighed, "now that all that is taken care of, I need to get back to work." Maybe she turned too quickly or maybe it was the heat, but suddenly she felt lightheaded. Catching the side of the table with her hand, she was able to keep herself from falling.

"Destiny, are you okay?" Jack ran to her side.

"I'm fine. It's just hot out here. I'm probably a little dehydrated."

Jack pulled out a chair for her and handed her a glass of water. He smirked before he added, "Yeah a little dehydrated and a whole lot pregnant."

Panic spread from Destiny's heart into her lungs at the sound of Jack's words. Judging by Jack's expression, it must have reached her face as well.

"Calm down. I live with both Dani and Starr, remember? How am I not going to overhear Dani talking about stuff? Not to mention I saw Starr go through the same symptoms with Hope."

Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "Please don't tell anyone."

Jack remembered the chaos that broke out between his then-dad and Starr when he found out she was pregnant. He wouldn't wish that on anyone in the world. Besides, since everything happened with Shane's mom, Destiny was the only person in town who wasn't related to him that even spoke to him.

He shrugged. "Not my secret to tell."

Though her instincts should scream that she couldn't trust Jack any further than she could throw him, she did. "Thanks. I should get back to work."

He nodded before he headed back to his chaise lounge. Watching as she walked away, he called out, "Don't work too hard." And when she was gone he dared to do something he had done in weeks; he smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

_So, this one is all Matt and Des. In this story, Matt heard Destiny tell him about the baby when he was semi comatose. Matt has a little more input about the baby in this story; and again, his recovery is a little less speedy. No Jack in this one._

**The Tempest -Chapter 2**

Matthew looked at the time on the digital clock by his bedside. Almost noon meant it was almost time for him to be visited by three of the people he loved most in the world: his parents and Destiny. The visits left him with mixed feelings. While he enjoyed spending time with his family, which included Destiny, especially now, he felt horribly inadequate. Soon after the accident, his speech was characterized by stuttering. Now, he attended speech therapy three times per week…and he limited his conversation.

His silence was particularly frustrating knowing what he'd known for the last month and a half about Destiny and their baby. When Destiny told him she was pregnant, he was unable to speak or even to hold her hand. She probably believed that he had no idea. Since he'd been up and able to speak, he waited for her to tell him again, but then it hit him; she pitied him. Why wouldn't she? He could do nothing to protect her, not from their disappointed families or the stares or name-calling she was sure to get once she was back at school and no longer able to hide her pregnancy.

It was for these reasons that Matthew hadn't pushed the issue. To make matters worse, their relationship remained undefined. They had only been "friends," by their own definition at the time they were together in May; still, he'd known he was falling for her as early as January when he kissed her for the first time. Then, he'd told her the kiss meant nothing. It was a lie, but he wanted so badly to protect her from the mess he'd gotten himself into; he thought he was a murderer then. He wished he had continued to protect her from him because if he had, she wouldn't be pregnant, alone and probably terrified. But at the time he couldn't help himself. When he told Destiny that he'd done the worst thing a person could do, she responded to him with nothing but love and care. He needed to feel the connection between them in the most tangible way possible.

In his mind, he thought he'd showed her that night what she meant to him, but when she began to avoid him, he knew he was mistaken. She stated as much when she later denied that their being together meant anything to her. He'd asked her to give him a chance, but Nate put him out of commission before they could define what that meant.

Today, they would have their talk. Destiny hadn't visited in nearly three weeks. He suspected it was due to morning sickness or exhaustion or whatever ailed pregnant women, but part of him feared she couldn't stand seeing him in such a weakened condition. He was stronger now than he was three weeks ago. And as much as he was afraid that what Destiny now saw for him was pity, he could no longer allow her to bear the burden of his desire alone. Even if Destiny no longer wanted to love him, he would always be her best friend and she needed him now.

"Hey son," Bo greeted cheerily. His boy looked better than he had in months. Instead of lying confined in his bed, Matthew now sat in a bedside chair. Nora followed with a joyous gasp of her own. Within minutes, she was smothering his forehead with kisses.

"Mom…stop." Matthew spoke slowly and carefully. He had no desire to stutter with Destiny in such close proximity.

"I'm your mother and I get to cover you in as many kisses as I can now that you are alright. You look wonderful." She patted his cheeks.

When Nora had her fill of motherly affection and stepped aside, Matthew and Destiny's eyes met. Seeing Matthew still made Destiny's heart race. And when he managed to give her a smile, she actually felt herself tremble. Destiny had a similar effect on Matthew. She was beautiful with her big bright eyes and her gorgeous smile. The rest of the world seemed to fade away.

"Hi," Destiny said quietly. Her feet remained planed near the door. She felt an unexplainable shyness as the warmth rose to her cheeks.

"Hey." He took a deep breath and then offered a smile. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too." Hers was the softest, sweetest voice in the room.

Bo suspected Matthew had been seeing his friend differently for months before he was injured. And when Matthew was hospitalized, Destiny mentioned more than once that she and Matthew had gotten really close. They were already closer friends than most people had the good fortune to make in a lifetime and he'd wondered if the two had begun dating before Matthew's accident. Given that Matthew was a teenager, he wouldn't be surprised if he forgot to mention it. And now, there was something about the way the kids were looking at each other that made him think they might like some time alone.

He turned to Nora. "Red, why don't we find Matthew's doctors and get an update on his progress?"

Nora appeared confused until Bo poked her in the ribs and pointed to Matthew and Destiny. "I think that's a great idea."

Matthew noticed Destiny remained fixed at her position near the door. "Des, are you okay?"

"It's just that you look so good. I always knew you would get better, but this is better than I hoped for so soon."

He smiled. She had the reaction he hoped for. He reminded himself to speak slowly. "Come…here…please?"

Slowly, she crossed the room until she reached his side. She was speechless. His speech was slow, but he called her name. It was then that she took his hand. He rewarded her with a gentle squeeze of her fingers. During her last visit, he'd only been able to smile and try a few words. She sat in a chair beside his.

"How…do…you…feel?" He pushed out a breath, relieved that he hadn't stuttered even once.

"Me?" Shock sprang through her body that Matthew could even worry about her with all that he had going on. She used her free hand to touch the top of his hand that held her own. "I'm fine, especially now that I see you're better."

"I am." He squeezed her hand once more. With Destiny, it was sometimes better to just to grab her with the truth…and so he did. "How…is…the…b…b…baby?" From the horrified look on her face, he became afraid that she was going to pass out.

"Baby?" Destiny sprang back in her chair. "What are you talking about, Matthew?"

"Des…I…know." He released a breath to remain calm. "I…heard…when…you…told me."

Leaving the chair, she walked to the window and looked out. "I don't want to talk about this…not now."

"You can't pretend…it's…not…h, h, happening."

Destiny spun on her heels. She yelled, "I told you I don't want to talk about it."

"Des…" he practically whispered. He'd underestimated how tightly she was twisted into knots. "You…need…to…talk."

"Stop it Matthew, just stop it!" She shouted.

Nora ran into the room at the sound of the commotion. "Is everything okay? Destiny, I could hear you in the hallway." She looked at the girl and saw that she was clearly upset. It reminded Nora of when she'd seen Destiny outside of the Buenos Dias a week before. At the time, she seemed very upset, though she denied it. Something was definitely going on with her. "Destiny?"

"I'm fine." Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Bo entered just as Destiny spoke. He wasn't sure what was going on, but one thing for sure was that Destiny wasn't fine. "You don't seem okay. You know Destiny, if you have anything you need to talk about, Nora and I love you like family."

"Thanks Mr. B," she sniffled. "But I'm fine."

"N…n…n…no, she's not," Matthew said as loudly as he could manage. Destiny needed help. She couldn't keep trying to handle things on her own. Matthew knew what he had to do. The problem was it might cause Destiny to hate him. He took a deep breath. "She's pregnant."

Though the words came out crystal clear, Nora tried to process what Matthew was saying. She hadn't seen Destiny with Darren for quite some time. She wondered if that was the reason they'd broken up. Even if Bo hadn't seen the looks that passed between them, he would have known the truth…even before Matthew began to speak it.

"The…baby…is…mine."

Destiny felt as though Matthew drove a dagger through her heart. The room felt as though the walls were closing in on her as Matthew's parents looked from her to Matthew and back to her. "I, I, I have to get out of here." Destiny ran out of the room past a still dazed Bo and Nora.

"You…have…to…help…her." Matthew looked at both of his parents. "It's…my…fault."

Before he could help anyone, Bo needed answers. "Matthew, when did this happen?"

"When…I…told…about…Eddie. All…my…f, f, fault."

"Matthew, calm down." Though Bo wanted to strangle his boy for complicating an already complicated situation, the last thing he wanted to see happen was for Matthew to have a seizure and set his progress back. "We'll help Destiny, okay? We're not going to let the two of you go through this alone."

"Th, thanks, Dad."

Nora was at a loss for words. Sure, she'd wanted to be a grandmother for quite a long time, but she hoped it would come from her eldest daughter Rachel, not her teenage son. Nora couldn't even manage to yell at Matthew. She was so confused. When did Destiny find out? Had she just told Matthew?

"Mom," Matthew's voice cracked. It sounded as if he was going to cry. "Find…her…p, p, please."

And with such a helpless plea, Nora was on her way. They would get through this, she told herself and she walked through the hallways of the rehab facility. But as she reached the front door, her heart dropped as she saw Destiny in the backseat of a cab that was pulling off.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all. Thank you so much for the fantastic replies. No Matthew in this one, but he will be back next chapter. (I think he and Jack will make it into the same chapter next time.) FYI, TSJ-Todd is just Walker Lawrence and not Victor Lord Jr. Hope you enjoy.

**The Tempest - Chapter 3**

Destiny exited the Greyhound Bus at the Llanview station. She'd been onboard for nearly two hours and every part of her body felt stiff. Still, after all of the drama at the hospital, she knew there was no way she could ride back to Llanview with Matthew's parents and so, she hopped a cab to the nearest bus station.

Mr. and Mrs. B had called her four times while she was on the bus and she ignored each call. Then she saw Shaun's number flash across the screen. Even though he'd called nearly an hour ago, a sickness rose up from the pit of her stomach. She was certain that Matthew's parents had told Shaun the whole terrible truth. She sent Shaun a text that said, "I'm fine. Don't worry." Then she dialed Dani, cried hysterically and made Dani promise that she wouldn't tell anyone where she was. Her emotion brought Dani to tears before she made an emotional pledge to be at the bus station promptly at 3:15 p.m. When she was finished with Dani, she turned off her phone and she had no desire to turn it on again.

It was now 3:17 p.m. and Dani was nowhere in sight. Destiny's eyes scanned the lot for any signs of her friend's red mini-Cooper, but the only red vehicles she saw were sports cars and pickup trucks. A tap on her shoulder caused her to jump. She relaxed a bit when she saw that it was none other than Jack Manning. "Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Dani sent me." He'd been hanging at Dani and Tea's when Dani received the call that sent her into hysterics. He'd asked Dani what happened, but she simply ignored him and went to her room to call Starr. Unfortunately, the door was too thick for him to hear much of their conversation. The next thing he knew, John McBain was banging at the front door looking for Destiny. Dani quickly whispered Destiny's location and pushed him past the uniform patrol officer stationed outside their front door. Whatever was going on, Destiny was obviously in trouble. "Did you rob a bank or something?"

"Of course not." Destiny looked at Jack like he'd grown a third eye. "Why?"

"Because half of the police department is looking for you."

"What?" Destiny screeched. Her heart beat so fast and so strong that it physically shook her body. Of course they were; Matthew's dad was the police commissioner. Apparently, the Comish was willing to use the police department to track her down. "I can't believe this."

"What happened?"

"Matthew told his parents about, everything…he just blurted it out in front of them and I know they've told Shaun." Though she tried to will the tears away, she began to cry. "I know when I get home they are all going to be waiting for me and they're going to have a thousand questions that I don't have the answers to."

Jack felt helpless as he watched the tears begin to stream down Destiny's cheeks. He surprised even himself as he gently wiped the tears away with his fingertips.

The sensation of Jack's hands on her face startled Destiny; she reacted with a step backward. Destiny knew she needed to pull herself together. She took a deep breath. "I guess you might as well take me home."

"Not so fast." Destiny was clearly a goody-two-shoes who didn't have a clue how to play the developments in her own favor. "You walk in there now and everyone is going to lay into you. You need to make them worry. You have to stay gone at least another four or five hours."

"Why would I do that?" Once again Jack demonstrated that behind his pretty boy exterior lived a truly twisted individual. She looked up to see if his face showed signs that he was joking; he wasn't.

Jack continued, "If you make them wait, when you finally show up, they'll be so happy you're okay they won't scream at you for being knocked up. Best part is they'll be afraid to come down on you for weeks because they'll be afraid that if they upset you, you'll bolt."

"That's so messed up." Destiny didn't want her family or the Buchanans to worry about her.

Jack looked to the left of the row of buses and saw a police officer in the corner who seemed to have glanced in their direction more than once. One more look and the guy would be headed in their direction. "Look Destiny, you have two choices: Either come with me or we can walk over there and let that police officer take you straight to Bo and Nora."

Destiny couldn't very well face Matthew's parents after she had run away from them. And she couldn't face Shaun now that he knew she lied to him about having sex with Matthew. Then there was Matthew. She was furious with him, but part of her just wanted to get back on the bus, curl up beside him on the bed and cry her eyes out. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. "Fine, let's go."

"Okay, hug me."

"What?" The request caught Destiny off guard. Was he so concerned about her being upset? Maybe Jack wasn't the jerk she pegged him to be. "No. I mean…I'm okay."

"I don't care about that." Jack placed his hands on his hips. "I need you to hug me so that the cop that just looked over here for the third time and who is probably gonna come over here thinks you're a girl who just got into a fight with her boyfriend, instead of the missing pregnant girl. If he figures out who you are, knowing the Buchanans they'll try to haul me in for interfering with the police."

Though he'd worked her nerves in the past, Jack was irritating her beyond belief now. Still, she'd been left with limited choices. So, she slipped her arms through his arms and around his torso. Jack responded by removing his arms from his hips and wrapping them around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry I upset you, snookie-wookie!" He spoke loudly enough for the cop to hear. When he peeked over her head, he saw that the police officer had in fact begun to walk in their direction. The cop gave them one more glance and walked in a different direction. When he was gone, Jack released her from the embrace.

"Snookie…wookie?" Destiny arched an eyebrow at him. "You couldn't think of anything less corny?"

"I was improvising. Let's go." He took her by the hand and pulled her to his Land Rover. He loved his car. It was the last gift his dad, Walker, or whomever he was had given him before he disappeared. "You should lay down in the back so that no one sees you when you get to my house. Because you're friends with David, the police will probably be there, too."

Jack was right. There was a squad car at the end of the long drive in front of his Aunt Dorian's house. He drove to the back of the estate near the gardener's shed. When the coast was clear Jack led Destiny to a little known part of the estate. It was a little piece of paradise. A weeping willow shadowed small manmade pond. A couple of wooden benches sat on each side of the pond. And a few feet away sat a wooden shed decorated with initials carved in hearts.

"Jack, what is this place?"

"My Da-..." His new life would take getting used to. "Walker built it for my mom when they were still married. Then when they got divorced, he would bring me down here to race electric boats." Jack looked wistfully at the water before skipping a rock over its surface.

"You really miss him, don't you?"

Jack shrugged. If he spoke, he might admit that there were still nights that he cried when he was alone in his room. Walker would hate knowing that as he always taught him to be tough, so would his real dad. "My mom wants to get back with "Todd,"" he used his fingers to make quotes. "Do you know he gave me away to strangers when I was a baby because he thought I was another guy's kid?" Jack skipped a rock across the water. "And Walker loved me the whole time even though he knew I was. How can I not miss him?"

"Jack, are you okay?" Destiny placed her hand on his arm as she thought about the way things played out between herself and her own parents. Yes, it was true that they were actually her grandparents and they lied to her about her parents, but up until that point, all they had done was love her. Unlike Jack, she knew the people who had loved her throughout her life would be there to support her through everything, no matter how disappointed they might be.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Immediately, he replaced his sadness with the mask of indifference he typically wore. He began skipping rocks once more. "Do you want me to go up to the house and bring you some food?"

"No. But you can walk me up to the main house so I can start dealing with everything."

"Are you sure?" Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "Why did you change your mind?"

"A friend helped me see that I didn't have to be afraid."

Jack made a face as he wondered what friend Destiny could have been talking about. She hadn't talked to anyone since they left the bus station. Like a ton of bricks, it hit him. He was her friend. The revelation excited him, most people had no desire to be his friend. "Okay Snookie-wookie, let's go up to the house."

Destiny crooked her head to the side as she looked at him. "You're not seriously going to start calling me that, are you?"

Jack laughed. He extended a hand which Destiny took as he led her on the long walk back to the house.

When they arrived at the main house, David was in the solarium. Jack didn't realize that they were holding hands until he saw David's eyes zoom in on their physical connection. Apparently, Destiny caught David's look as well because she quickly released Jack's grasp.

David quickly moved to Destiny. "BFF, what are you doing here? Pa and StepNora said you ran away. They have been looking for you with your brother. Don't leave okay?" He eyed Jack suspiciously. "Why are you with Jack?"

Destiny managed a weak smile as she looked at Jack. "I came here because I needed a break. Jack found me." And then she thought, I found myself.

Thirty minutes later, Bo, Nora, Shaun, David and Destiny's grandparents were seated in La Boule. Starr, Dani and Jack eavesdropped from around a corner. Though she was older than he was, Jack thought Destiny looked so small in a room full of so many people with all of their eyes on her.

Destiny took a deep breath. While she was still furious at Matthew for setting things in motion without discussing it first with her, she would have given anything to have him there with her. She clinched her hands together. "I guess you all know by now that Matthew and I…that I'm pregnant. I'm so sorry. I know that you're all disappointed. But we didn't mean for this to happen and the truth is I'm so scared and I'm going to need all of you. So, please don't be too mad to keep loving me."

By now, Destiny's cheeks became flooded with tears. Something inside Jack made him want to go to Destiny. He'd seen firsthand that she could take care of herself, he felt the urge to protect her from the potential fallout. And he would have if Starr hadn't caught his arm. It was then that he saw that her brother, Shaun, would have gotten there first anyway.

"Oh, Little D…come here." Shaun pulled her into a hug.

Nora was the next to move to her side. "Destiny, I want you to know that Bo and I are here for whatever you need."

"Red's right, Destiny. We're going to make sure you and Matthew get through this."

Felicia Evans was the next to speak and for Destiny, she had only open arms and two words: "Baby Girl." Destiny moved into her arms and allowed her mother to fold her inside…and then she wept.

It was then that Starr Manning thought it best to lead her siblings into the kitchen in order to provide the Evans and Buchanan families some privacy. She was surprised when Jack seemed as hesitant to leave as Dani. She was even more surprised that when the three siblings were in the kitchen, Jack seemed oddly preoccupied.

"Do you think she's going to be okay?" Jack thought of how badly her life sucked. Things were bad with her parents. And her baby's father, whom she may or may not be dating, was in the hospital with brain damage.

"I think she'll be good." Starr smiled.

"I think she's already good." Dani poked Jack's arm. "It only took her one car ride with you to make you show genuine human emotion."

"Whatever." Jack rolled his eyes at Dani. He left the kitchen and stormed up to his room.

Dani was confused. She turned to Starr. "What's up with him?"

Starr tapped at her chin. "I think our brother has a crush on your best friend."


	4. Chapter 4

Hi all, Matthew and Jack finally managed to show up in the same chapter together, though not face-to-face. I really hope you enjoy.

The Tempest – Chapter 4

Matthew lay in bed exhausted from a morning of intensive physical therapy. This morning, his great triumph had been taking a few steps. While it true that it was progress, he had so much further to go, especially because he needed to support Destiny. It had been a week since he'd told his parents that Destiny was pregnant. Everyone was afraid Destiny was too fragile to confront and so his parents confronted him head on. It had been a week full of questions such as "What were you thinking?"

It had also been a week of little contact from Destiny. She'd called once to say that she would visit soon and she ended the conversation soon after. The only other contact had been secondhand in the form of a visit from Starr. He and Starr were long time friends and she had gone through the challenges of teen parenthood herself. Starr filled in the blanks about Destiny's whereabouts on the day Destiny disappeared from his room…and a surprise development. Apparently, Destiny reconciled with her parents. His parents had also been immediately supportive of her. The thought of Destiny being supported gave him the comfort he needed to get through her anger…no matter how long it lasted.

Matthew was surprised by an unexpected voice. "We need to talk."

The gruff voice surprised Matthew, though he should have expected it. The voice belonged to Destiny's bodyguard brother, Shaun. Shaun had always seemed larger than life to Matthew and now it seemed as though he'd grown another 3 inches.

"I'm sorry." They were the first words that came to Matthew's mind. Shaun trusted Matthew with his sister. From the way Shaun was looking at him, it was a trust he would never regain.

"What good does you being sorry do Destiny? You're lucky you're in that bed or I would snap you in half."

A deafening silence fell over the room as Shaun dared Matthew to speak and Matthew refused his challenge. Matthew's breathing began to speed as Shaun moved toward his bed. By the time he was a few inches away, his eyes had already burned holes into Matthew's heart.

Shaun shook his head as he looked at the boy. He wasn't quite sure if he was angry with Matthew or himself. He was supposed to be Destiny's guardian making sure she was safe while she sorted things out with his parents. Though he'd seen the looks between the teens, Destiny told him that she and Matthew were just friends. From the amount of time they spent together, her breakup with her boyfriend and a kiss that Matthew backed away from, Shaun had been sure they were more than friends. He should have been more diligent. Still, he thought they were in the early stages of dating or whatever.

Matthew took a deep breath. "Shaun…I…know…I…m-messed up. B-but I care a…bout Des…and…our b-baby. I will do w-whatever it t-takes to make things r- right."

Shaun eyed him once more. "Good answer. I'll be back."

Matthew pushed out a breath of air as he watched Shaun leave. He meant every word he'd said. Destiny was his family almost as much as she was Shaun's and he would do anything to make her happy. From the sound of some unexpected footsteps he might have the chance to do so sooner than expected.

"Hi." Destiny's voice was soft.

"Hi. I'm g-glad you're here. "

Shaun returned to the room. As furious as he was with Matthew…and to a lesser degree Destiny, he knew they had a lot to talk about. From what Destiny said on the night she finally talked, she hadn't talked about the situation with anyone but Dani before Matthew told his parents. And though he hated to admit it, part of him was grateful that Matthew forced Des out of her silence. "I'll be back in a few hours."

Destiny waited for Shaun to leave before she spoke. As she looked at Matthew, she remembered the last time she was in the room. "You should have talked to me before you told your parents."

"I tried…you…were…in…d, d, denial. I didn't…w, w, want you to be alone." Matthew swallowed the embarrassment of his stuttering hard. How was Destiny going to believe he could help her if he couldn't even speak correctly? He reminded himself to speak slowly. "How are you?"

As much as Destiny wanted to stay angry, this was Matthew. He was the one person she could always be honest with. The warm tears hung on her eyelids and soon began to slip down her cheeks. "I'm really scared, Matthew."

Each tear pierced his heart like a dagger. Maybe it was because he knew there wasn't much he could do to make things better. The truth was he was scared, too. As he watched her cry, he decided he would do what he did best: be her friend. "Des, come here."

Destiny walked slowly to Matthew's bedside. For weeks, she'd felt so alone as she carried the secret of the new life that was growing inside her. And now, she was here with the boy she loved and she wasn't alone anymore. It took great effort for Matthew to move to one side of the bed, but after he had, she climbed in. When she felt his arm around her waist and his head nuzzled into her neck, she lost it. She wept in a way that she'd wanted to for weeks.

Ten full minutes later, she stopped crying. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she eked out, "What are we going to do?"

"What…do…you…want…to do?" His heart raced as he silently prayed that Destiny wanted their baby. Although, the baby was not planned and was something he would go back and change if he could, since the moment she told him, he could think of nothing else. After all, he was a year older than his dad was when David was conceived and he couldn't imagine a world without his big brother.

In Destiny's mind, there were no choices. She loved Matthew and she couldn't imagine that she wouldn't adore their baby. She also imagined that if she gave the baby up for adoption she would spend every day wondering what happened to it. "I think I want to keep the baby."

"Me too." Matthew felt his heart calm. "We…can…do…this. I…will…be better…soon."

Destiny nodded. Though the only thing that changed was finally talking to Matthew, things suddenly seemed brighter to Destiny.

"Why…did…you go to Starr's house when you left here?" Destiny and Dani were best friends, so he was surprised when Starr said Destiny had been at LaBoule when she was found.

Destiny took a deep breath. For some reason, she was hesitant to tell Matthew that Jack took her there. Besides, Jack stayed in so much trouble if people knew the poor kid was a part of her escape, he would never hear the end of it. "I thought Starr could help me deal."

She yawned. Physical and mental exhaustion overtook her. "Can you just hold me?"

Matthew smiled, "It's what I do best."

A week later, Destiny smiled as she thought back to her visit with Matthew. They hadn't talked much that day, but they talked about the important stuff. He sounded good on the phone the next day when she talked to him…and she'd talked to him twice since. She didn't have the heart to tell him that her problems had changed since their last visit.

Now, after her disappearing act, everyone treated her like she was an egg that was so fragile she would crack. Shaun insisted she quit her job at the Country Club. She overheard he and their mother talking about how she would not have been strong enough to handle it if "something happened" with both the baby and Matthew. Matthew's parents weren't much better. They often stopped by midday with healthy snacks and they gave her a ton of advice on getting enough rest.

The only people who treated her the same were Tea Delgado and the Manning siblings. Dani talked about a boy, named Jeff, whom she was still in denial about liking and Starr talked about working on a music album. Then there was Jack or Megamind as she sometimes called him in tribute to his tendency for coming up with sneaky plans. Jack would teasingly call her "snookie-wookie" or "snooks"…whenever his sisters weren't around. They made her feel normal.

So, Destiny was more than a little disappointed when she arrived at LaBoule to find Starr and Dani about to leave. Dani was the first to speak.

"Des, Starr and I were just going to hang out with my cousin Baz at Capricorn. He might even record us singing together." Dani saw the disappointed look on Destiny's face and she quickly added, "You should come."

Destiny shook her head, "no." No one wanted the pregnant girl hanging around.

Jack appeared carrying Sam by the ankles. "You can always stay here and help me with the rugrats. You probably need the practice anyway." Though he couldn't quite explain it, Jack really wanted her to stay. He'd been dreading a night of taking care of his little brother and his niece, but things were suddenly looking up.

Dani smiled. Maybe Starr was right; maybe Jack did have a crush on Destiny. If that was the case, she was all for them spending more time together. Destiny made her brother more human. And as Destiny's best friend, she wasn't 100 percent sure that Matthew was good enough for Destiny. After all it had taken him long enough to figure out she was wonderful and Matthew had been a complete jerk to Dani when they broke up. "Starr wouldn't you feel better if Destiny helped look after Hope?"

Instantly, Starr knew what Dani was doing. They would talk about it later. In the coming months, Destiny would need Matthew without the complication of Jack's growing feelings. "Destiny, don't let my brother and sister guilt you into keeping Hope for me."

"I don't mind." Destiny smiled.

"Good. We'll see you later." Dani hugged Destiny and pulled Starr out of the door.

Two hours later, Destiny was exhausted from chasing Hope and Sam around all corners of the estate. She wondered where they got an endless supply of energy. She was surprised at how good Jack was with both of them. She was also surprised when he announced he managed to have them both safely tucked in bed by 8 p.m. When he returned downstairs, he plopped on the sofa next to Destiny.

"Thanks for helping me out, Snooks."

Destiny smiled at the nickname. "I think I owed you one." She thought of the talk she'd been able to have with Shaun, Matthew and her parents. "Actually, I owed you a few. But, I really think you could have handled it without me."

Jack shook his head, "no." She'd transformed a boring night of babysitting into a fun evening especially the way she made Sam and Hope giggle during her dramatic way story. "You're cool. Easy to talk to and stuff."

She prayed he didn't want to talk about the drama from the last time she was there. It felt so nice to have a somewhat normal evening. Maybe he needed to talk more about his new, old dad. "Do you want to talk about something?"

"Yeah. You called me your friend the other day. So, tell me something people don't know about you?" He smiled.

She loved the question. It was personal and so far away from everything that was going on in her life. Tapping at her lip, she thought for a long time. Then she remembered something that very few people knew. "I've always wanted to learn how to play guitar." She scrunched her face and for a minute played a mean air guitar.

Destiny was a secret rocker. Jack loved it. He burst into laughter as he pictured her on stage rocking out like Taylor Swift or his mom's favorite, Sheryl Crow.

"It's not that funny." Destiny punched his arm to stop him from laughing, but soon found herself laughing as well. When he continued to laugh, she folded her arms and pretended to pout. "Fine. Tell me something I don't know about you."

Jack smiled broadly before he spoke. "I can make your dreams come true." He hopped off the sofa and ran up to his room. When he returned, he had his acoustic guitar in his hands.

"You play?" Destiny was suddenly very excited.

"Yes and you will too…soon." He removed the guitar from its case and handed to Destiny. He watched as she tried to figure out where to place her fingers. Then he moved to sit behind her. He placed each of her fingers on the strings. Placing his right hand over hers, he spoke quietly, "This is your strumming hand." Next he moved his left hand over her left. "This is one is for chords."

Destiny felt strangely uncomfortable with Jack being so close to her and she wasn't quite sure why. Jack was her best friend's little brother and so she couldn't be attracted to him…even if he did smell incredible. As he gently placed her left hand on a series of strings then moved her right hand, a cord sang out from the guitar. She yelped as she turned to face Jack, "I did it. I played guitar!"

"You did." Jack said softly as he noticed that in turning, she was now close enough to kiss. He wondered where that thought came from or why he wanted to obey it so much. Before he could process the thought further, his thoughts were interrupted by a male voice.

"Jack, are you trying to make a move on my little bro's girlfriend?" David was furious. He planned to put a stop to the madness.

Destiny spoke first. "No! Jack was teaching me to play the guitar." She stood and began to gather her things. Then she walked up to David and said, "And by the way, Matthew never asked me to be his girlfriend." She looked back at Jack. "Thanks for the lesson."

"Anytime." Jack called out behind her. As he thought about Destiny's admission that she wasn't Matthew's girlfriend, he wore a smile he could not contain. He began to pack up his guitar as David chattered on in the background. Paying David no mind, he headed toward his bedroom.

"I'm watching you, Jack." David called out. There was no way he was going to let Manning steal his little bro's woman right from under his nose. If that meant he had to go have a little chat with his bro that was exactly what he was going to do.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you so much for the replies! Not much Matthew in this one (he and Des have so much history, I felt the need to give Jack and Des a little as well. Matt will be back in full effect next chapter.) I hope you enjoy._

The Tempest – Chapter 5

Destiny leafed through the second chapter of the latest book, Matthew's mom, Mrs. B dropped off for her to read: "Hope, Joy (and a Few Little Thoughts) For Pregnant Teens." It was all about the legacy a young mother wanted to create for her baby. Surprisingly, Destiny was enjoying it. The author talked about how she went on to get her college degree even while trying to raise her young son. And it was because Destiny was enjoying the book that the sudden pounding on her front door annoyed her.

No sooner than she opened the door a crack, David, her "BFF" barged in. She could tell from the look on his face that she was in for some dramatics.

"BFF, you have some 'splainin' to do?" David walked further into the apartment and slammed his hands on his hips. "Are you or are you not the same girl that dragged me off to London to find my baby bro and tell him that you loved him?" He stared at her for a moment, but as soon as she started to speak, he interrupted her. "And are you or are you not carrying Little David, the seed of Matthew's loins?"

"The seed of Matthew's loins?" Destiny crinkled her nose. "That just sounds gross." She folded her arms across her chest. "And who is Little David?"

"The Buchanan family bambino that you're carrying." He narrowed his eyes in on her. "Don't try to change the subject."

"I don't even know what the subject is!" She threw her arms in the air before she plopped back on the sofa.

"The subject is you cheating on my little bro with Jack Manning. What else do you think would draw me out of bed at the crack of dawn?" Although David initially planned to tell Matthew about Jack and Destiny, he changed his mind and decided to let his BFF explain herself first.

Destiny glanced at the clock on the wall. "Crack of dawn? David, it's noon."

"It's 10 a.m. in Los Angeles. And I can't believe you don't even have the decency to deny that you're cheating on Matthew."

"What are you talking about?" Destiny sighed. "Jack and I are friends. Nothing more."

"Oh yeah? That night when you showed up at LaBoule after you left Matthew, you were holding hands with Jack Manning. And yesterday, I found you and Jack looking very cozy. And when asked, all you say is that you are not Matthew's girlfriend." David crossed his arms across his chest. "Do you care to explain young lady?"

"Sure. Matthew and I got together while we were still just friends and he got hurt before we could clearly define our relationship. Jack and I…"

"Ah ha!" David interrupted her. "You just said, 'Jack and I.' I knew there was something going on between the two of you."

"David! Stop being a doofus." Destiny shook her head as she stood and moved closer to him. She gave David the once over. He and Matthew looked more alike than Matthew and Mr. B. Both were tall, dark-haired and handsome, but that was where the similarities ended...and she was thrilled. Matthew was typically her calm and steady rock, while David was a spaz. "As I was saying, Jack and I are friends. The night I disappeared, Jack found me on the grounds of LaBoule. I was upset and he was holding my hand to keep me calm." Destiny still thought it was best not to tell anyone that Jack brought her to the house. "Last night, Jack was teaching me to play guitar when you jumped to ridiculous conclusions."

David eyed Destiny suspiciously. Aside from his Pa and his baby bro, Destiny was his best friend. They'd always spoken honestly with each other about matters of the heart and he didn't have any reason to believe that she wasn't telling him the truth, now. "Oh alright, come here and give me a hug." When she arrived in his arms, he hugged her tightly. "Okay, I should be going. Dorian worries about me when I'm gone too long. She's afraid evil Uncle Clint will try to have me kidnapped again." He touched her stomach. "You take care of little David."

"There is no little David." Destiny cringed.

"Fine. Vickerina then." David kissed Destiny's forehead and departed.

After David left, Destiny returned to the sofa to continue reading her book, only to be interrupted by the ring of her cell phone. She smiled when she saw Matthew's picture on the display.

"Hey Matthew!" she answered excitedly. No longer did she hold any anger toward him for telling his parents about the baby.

"Hey Des, how…do…you…feel?"

She smiled at the sound of his voice as she recalled that at one time, she was afraid she would never hear it again. "I'm good," she paused before adding, "but I miss you. How are you feeling?"

"The doctors… think I will…be home in a few weeks."

"Matthew, that's wonderful." Destiny's heart felt like it would burst. This was the news she'd prayed for. A million questions raced through her mind. Before she could ask them, there was a knock at the door. "Hang on a second, it's been like Grand Central Station here."

"Who else was there?" Matthew asked as she walked toward the door.

"My BFF, your lunatic big brother." She replied as she reached the door handle.

When she opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised to see Dani and Jack. Dani flew in the door before she could open it fully while Jack lingered by the door.

"Des, the back to school carnival is in town. Jeff asked me to go but he's bringing his sisters. I finally convinced Jack to go but he's whining about not knowing anyone. Please say you'll come." Dani finally noticed that Destiny was on the phone. "Oh my gosh, I didn't know you were on the phone."

Destiny shook her head at her friend. "Yeah, I'm talking to Matthew, which also means you guys have to go without me."

"Des," Matthew called her name before she could say another word. "You should go. You…deserve…to…enjoy…yourself."

Destiny felt guilty about being out and about while Matthew was cooped up in the hospital. She noticed Dani doing her best to eavesdrop on her conversation and she turned her back. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, soon both of us will be up to our eyebrows in diapers." She heard him pause and she wondered if he was as terrified as she was on most days. He perked up a bit as he said, "You'll be here in a couple days, right?"

"Of course." She lingered for a minute in silence. Each time they talked on the phone, she hoped he would tell her that he loved her because she certainly still loved him. And she told him so two years before. He'd been awake for weeks and he hadn't indicated that he felt anything more than friendship for her.

Instead of professing any feelings, Matthew simply said, "I'll call tomorrow?"

"Sure." Disappointment clouded her mind, but Destiny perked up for Jack and Dani's sakes. "I'll talk to you then."

"So, how's Matthew?" Dani asked as soon as she hung up.

"Good. He should be home in a few weeks."

"Great. Now go change so we can go." Dani pushed her into her room. "Wear your red short set." Dani smiled to herself. Destiny looked great in the short set and Dani sincerely hoped that the sight of her in the outfit might spur her brother into action. If Destiny was right about Matthew returning home in a few weeks, Jack didn't have much time.

Destiny emerged from her room a few minutes later. Not only did the short set still fit but the design of it camouflaged her ever expanding belly. "You cannot believe how happy I am that this actually still fits."

Jack spoke for the first time since he and Dani arrived. His sister was right, Destiny looked amazing. Red was definitely her color. "Snooks, you look great."

Destiny felt the blush rise to her cheeks. For some reason, the compliment embarrassed her. Still, it was nice to hear.

"You do!" Dani added as she rushed to give her a hug. "We're going to have so much fun."

A short time later, they arrived at the carnival. As soon as Destiny saw all the rides that involved some sort of spinning motion, she began to question whether a trip to the carnival was a good idea. She'd only really been able to keep her food down for the last couple of weeks and she had desire to press her luck by spinning on a bunch of rides. Dani's new boy stood by the Ferris wheel. He was tall and blonde with deep green eyes and a pleasant smile. On each side, stood one of his sisters. Both were very blonde, extremely skinny and very gorgeous. They reminded her of the girls that Matthew used to fall for. She wondered if he would find the two of them attractive and then she quickly shook the thought from her mind.

"Hey Jeff, you remember my best friend, Destiny and my brother, Jack, right?"

"Hey."

The older of the two girls, who was about 17, zeroed her focus in on Jack. "Hey cutie. I'm Kylie."

"And I'm Vita," the younger girl added before the older could make any additional moves.

For the next hour, Destiny watched in amazement as each of the girls flirted, somewhat shamelessly with Jack while he paid them little or no attention. As they approached the Zipper, the girls squealed with glee. Soon they'd convinced both Dani and Jeff to hop on the ride. Next, they set their sights on Jack and Destiny. Suddenly, Destiny dreaded the thought that she would need to explain all of the reasons getting on the Zipper was a bad idea.

Jack spoke before she could. "Actually, I'm going to steal Snooks away for some private time while you guys go on the ride. You guys understand, right?" The four nodded and then Jack extended a hand that Destiny felt obliged to take and led her away.

As soon as they were out of sight, Destiny pulled her hand out of Jack's. "What the heck was that?"

Jack smirked. "I guess you would have preferred to explain that Matthew knocked you up and so you can't get on rides with intense motion?"

Destiny sighed. "Okay, I get why you did that and I appreciate it, but yhey're totally going to think we're a couple."

"So." Jack shrugged. Honestly, he kind of liked the idea, which surprised him.

"So…we're not." She stared at Jack. "Plus, Vita and Kylie were totally in to you. They are going back off if they think we're together."

"That's okay." He surprised her by taking her hand again before they started to walk. Then he mumbled, "They're not my type."

"What do you mean by that?" Destiny asked with surprise. "Those girls are every guy's type."

"Nah, they still think that life is easy…that the only thing that matters is cheerleading and hanging out. We both know better than that."

Destiny looked at the sadness in Jack's eyes. She knew he still felt responsible for Shane's mom's death even though she placed most of the blame on that little twit Brad. It didn't help that he was dealing with the two dads situation, particularly since the one he loved the most was the one that was missing. She had to cheer him up. "Okay, you're depressing me and given that I'm extremely hormonal and I could burst into tears at any moment, you should stop. What do you say about winning me a stuffed animal…if you think you can."

"Oh I can. You just hope you can carry them all."

For the next hour, they walked around the carnival in an eating and game playing frenzy. Destiny knew Jack was pretty athletic. Still, she was surprised at just how athletic he was. In the first 20 minutes he won three stuffed animals: one for Hope, one for Sam and the third for Destiny's little one. The announcement that he was thinking of her unborn little one, sent tears from her eyelids. She apologized, but he just laughed it off as he reminded her that he lived through the same thing with Starr.

Just as they were about to return to the group, Jack spotted a stuffed lion that he told Destiny he needed to win. He explained that because it was a football game it would take him only a minute to win. He was wrong; it took 30 seconds. He gave it to Destiny explaining that the lion reminded him of her because it was so fierce and protective. Immediately, she loved the animal.

"Why don't you let other people see this side of you?" She asked as they walked together before their eyes led them to the cotton candy stand. They decided to share a bright blue one…after Jack insisted pink cotton candy was for girls.

"If you let people see the worst part of you, you don't have to worry about disappointing them."

Destiny frowned at him. "Seems like a crappy way to live…waiting for yourself to mess up."

"It's inevitable…it's genetic. Did you see the way I threw that football? I inherited my skills from my bio Dad, Todd. You know the guy who was actually the murder and the rapist. We both know what happened with Gigi, so who knows what I'm going to do next. You should be very afraid." He laughed awkwardly.

Destiny immediately saw through the façade of the laugh. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You get to choose who you are and what you want to be in life. And I've seen that you can be amazing. So, stop trash talking my friend, got it?" She squeezed his hand.

"Got it." He popped a piece of cotton candy in her mouth and then licked his fingers. They soon began walking again. Jack and Destiny were enjoying each other's company so much that they didn't see the rest of their group approach them. Or perhaps worst of all, they didn't see David standing a few feet a way where he'd been watching them the whole time.


	6. Chapter 6

Happy New Year everyone! Thanks again for all the replies. I hope everyone has a blessed and prosperous 2012! (No Jack in this one, but he's back next chapter.) This chapter gives we Matt and Des fans some of what we've been robbed of. Hope you enjoy.

The Tempest – Chapter 6

With his eyelids fluttering heavily after an extremely long and trying physical therapy session, Matthew tried to fight sleep. Thursdays were his brother, David's day to visit and he would be there any minute. There was no point in him sleeping now; David was the one visitor who was never content to let him rest. Matthew smiled to himself as he thought that his son would probably be the same way. He shook his head at the thought. At 17, he was about to be a father…and he couldn't even walk. He'd taken two steps today, but he still had a long road ahead of him.

In his mind, he vowed to work harder on the path to recovery. By Destiny's doctor's estimation the baby was due in late January 2012, which gave him exactly five months to get back on his feet. Still, he'd done all he could for the morning and so, he allowed himself to drift off to sleep. No sooner than Matthew closed his eyes, David's voice shook him from his rest.

"Baby bro, why are you lying around here while another man is trying to steal your woman?" David began to shake Matthew to help him emerge from his slumber.

"W, w, what?" Matthew asked groggily.

"Is Destiny or is she not your girlfriend?"

Matthew sat up in the bed. "Of course Destiny's my girlfriend. We've got a baby on the way." As he grew more awake, David's words invaded his mind. "Did you say something about another guy? I'm sure she and Darren are just friends."

David shook his head in disgust. His poor baby bro failed to realize that Darren and Destiny were last year's news. "I'm not talking about Derwood. I'm talking about Jack Manning."

Matthew sighed with relief. For a minute, he thought David was serious about another guy taking Destiny from him. Jack was no threat. He was her best friend's little brother. "David, Des can't stand that kid after what he did to Shane. I'm sure if he's around Des, it's because he's Dani's little brother."

"Well, I found that "kid" on the sofa cozied up to your girlfriend "giving her guitar lessons."" David made quotes with his fingers to indicate his disbelief regarding Jack's excuse. "And do you know what Destiny said?" He answered before Matthew could, "She said she wasn't your girlfriend."

"Why would she s, say that?" Matthew was confused. He thought they'd cleared the issue up the night Dr. Saybrook almost killed them.

"I don't know, Destiny's not the cheating kind; maybe you didn't make things very clear." David sat in the chair next to Matthew's bed. "Matthew, as your personal love guru, I feel it's my responsibility to teach you about the opposite sex. It's clear from Destiny's somewhat delicate condition that Fawn taught you everything you needed to know in the boudoir. But there is more. Women liked to be romanced. And right now, little Manning is trying to sweep Destiny off her feet. When I saw them at the carnival last night, Jack was smothering her with stuffed animals and feeding her cotton candy."

"W, What? Destiny let him feed her cotton candy?" While it was true that it couldn't exactly be considered cheating, Matthew hated the idea that Jack Manning or any other boy would feel so "comfortable" with Des. "What is she t, thinking?"

"Oh young Matthew, calm down. Being angry brings you're stuttering back and it's just not attractive. Destiny's probably thinking that she's lonely. The poor girl has spent months by your bedside and she spent weeks agonizing about how she was going to raise Little David on her own. Manning probably knows she's vulnerable. You're going to have to get used to that." David paused dramatically. "When you have a great woman like Destiny, the vultures will come out of the woodwork after her, just like they do my Dorian…of course, the vultures might also surround my Dorian because she's filthy rich." He tapped his lip while pondering the thought a moment longer. "Have you told Destiny that you love her?"

"No." For some reason, the question made Matthew uncomfortable.

"Why not? I tell Dorian I love her everyday…you do love Destiny, don't you?"

Matthew thought about the question for a minute. "I…"

A soft knock on the door stopped Matthew before he could answer the question. Destiny stood shyly at the entranceway.

"Hi David. Hi Matthew." Destiny's voice quivered a bit as she greeted them. She wondered if David had been filled Matthew's head with nonsense about Jack. "I can come back if the two of you are in the middle of something."

"I was just leaving." David rose and then whispered in Matthew's ear. "Don't forget what I told you. Tell her how you feel."

David hugged Destiny before he left the room. A moment later she was at Matthew's bedside. She was happily surprised when he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed without assistance. She'd brought him a surprise that she could barely wait to give him. They made small talk about the time since they'd seen each other, just over a week. As they spoke, Destiny wondered if David shared his ridiculous thoughts about Jack with Matthew. Two minutes later she had her answer.

"How was the carnival?"

"It was good," she shrugged in an attempt to seem nonchalant. Destiny knew Matthew Buchanan better than almost anyone. He was about 30 seconds away from asking her about Jack, so she would beat him to the punch. "Dani spent most of her time hanging out with Jeff, her soon-to-be new boyfriend, and both of his sisters. So, I hung out with Jack."

"I thought you hated Jack."

"Nope." She shook her head "no." "I hated what he did to Shane. She stood and walked to the window. She really didn't want to fight with Matthew about Jack, but she needed to be honest with him. "But, since you've been here and I've spent most of my time with Dani and Starr, I've gotten to know him better. He's been a pretty good friend to me."

Matthew let out something akin to a grunt. "So now you're f, friends, huh?"

Destiny stared at him until the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile, which made Matthew even more angry. If David was right, Destiny was putting their chance at a family at risk. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because you're jealous." She broke into a full grin.

Matthew was not too pleased that Destiny called him out on his thin-veiled emotional state. "Do I have reason to be? Seriously Des, what guy wants another guy hanging out with his girlfriend?"

Destiny's mouth fell slightly open as she wondered if Matthew was referring to her. Part of her felt like she'd missed a scene out of their lives. "Another guy's girlfriend? I thought we were talking about me hanging out with Jack."

Matthew narrowed his eyes on her. Was she trying to insinuate that she wasn't his girlfriend? David said she said she wasn't his girlfriend. He wondered if she even still wanted to be. Life with him wasn't exactly easy. Since they'd been friends, he'd suffered two serious injuries that left him in the hospital for months at a time. He thought he murdered someone and he got her pregnant before he could take her on a date. He looked down. "We were. I thought you were my girlfriend."

"Did I miss the conversation where you asked me to be your girlfriend?"

"No, it was in the h, hospital. What did you think I meant when I said I wanted you to give me a chance? I told you I didn't take us being together lightly." Destiny had been his best friend, confidante and his lover before that conversation. He really didn't understand why she hadn't gotten it. She should have known that anyway, especially since she knew he wouldn't have sex with Danielle or Fawn. "Besides we'd already been everything else to each other."

Matthew's words left Destiny speechless. "How was I supposed to know, especially after what happened when you kissed me in January?"

Matthew admitted to himself that he had been a bit of a flake when it came to Destiny and his feelings. "Yeah, but that was because I thought I killed Eddie Ford." He looked down at his feet, watching them dangle off of the side of the bed. An awkward silence blanketed the room. He was embarrassed that the way he treated her in the past and made her doubt how he felt about her. And now that they were able to spend so little time together, he hated that things were awkward between them. "Hey Des, do you even want to be my girlfriend?"

"Yes." She looked across the space between them and instantly connected with his eyes. Suddenly, a slight smile appeared on her face.

Matthew smiled in response. "Good. Can you bring me something?"

"Sure." She turned to face him as she waited anxiously to help, something Matthew didn't let many people do. "What do you need?"

"You."

The heat rose to her cheeks. "I'm being serious."

"Me too. My legs aren't steady enough to walk over there and kiss you." Now, it was his turn to blush.

Destiny walked slowly and shyly to Matthew's bed. When she arrived, she sat beside him, still not making eye contact. They hadn't kissed in nearly five months. For half of that time, she believed she might not have the chance to kiss him ever again. Now, sitting beside him, knowing that kissing him was inevitable made her feel surprisingly shy.

"Des," he called her name softly. "Will you look at me?"

She turned her head to face him. They now sat close enough that she could hear him breathe.

When their eyes were locked on each other, he said softly, "I want this. I want us. You and me…and our family."

Slowly, he inched his face closer to hers as his eyes focused on her mouth. And then, his lips grazed hers gently. He moved back slightly for a minute and searched her eyes for reassurance. And when he found it, Matthew kissed her with an intensity that she hadn't expected. As their kisses grew more fevered, she remembered their surroundings and the reason she'd been excited to visit. She managed to pull herself from his embrace.

"I have something to show you."

Matthew's mind went to a thousand inappropriate places at her words. Destiny must have picked up on his thoughts or his inability to focus because he soon felt the jab of her finger in his arm. It was then that he noticed she was holding a black and white photo. "Is this Asa?"

"Asa?" she feigned outrage. "You're not naming our daughter Asa."

"It's a girl?" He really felt like they were going to have a boy.

"I don't know, but I think it's a girl. I've been waiting for you before we find out for sure." She looked at the smile on Matthew's face. For some reason, it annoyed her. So, she added, "Even if it's a boy we're not naming him Asa."

"You're right. Grandpa's name and your personality might be more than the world can take."

"Hey!" she protested. She had to laugh despite her best effort not to. She rested her head on his shoulder.

"So, is it settled now? You are my girlfriend?"

"Yes…" She grinned as she spoke the words.

"Good." He kissed her forehead. "Tell Jack to stay away from my woman."


	7. Chapter 7

Hi all. Two for one today! Happy New Year. LOL. Thanks again for the replies. No Matthew in this one. But he will prominently play in the next chapter. This one has a great deal of Jack and is mostly a set up for some future events. I hope you enjoy.

The Tempest – Chapter 7

It was the first day of school. Jack watched as familiar faces wandered through the hall aimlessly. Some of the kids pointed at him and stared. Most treated him like he was invisible. He felt an underlying uneasiness that made him wish that he could jump out of his skin…and then he saw her: Destiny. She wore a red shirt and blue jeans. Her braided locks were pulled neatly back in a ponytail.

"Hey Jack."

"Hey Snooks. What's up?"

"I want to show you something." Destiny extended her hand. "Come with me."

Everything seemed like a blur as Destiny pulled him through the hallway to the gymnasium. His mind raced as he wondered whether she'd dragged him there to remind him of his past transgressions. He'd terrorized Shane there, leaving the poor kid naked in front of the whole school. He deserved whatever torture she decided to inflict on him.

"Close your eyes." Her voice was soft, yet he could tell her words were a command and not a request. So, he did as he was told. As soon as his lashes touched his eyelids, she spoke again. "Open them," she commanded. Once more, he obeyed her. She smiled at him before she said, "Now tell me what you see."

"Only you." He could feel his heart racing.

"Good. Nothing else matters."

He wanted to kiss her. The way she was smiling at him told him she wouldn't mind. He pulled her ever so gently to his body before he leaned down and prepared to bring his lips to hers. He smiled as he realized that she wasn't pulling away but was instead moving to meet him halfway. When he was only a half-inch from her mouth, he felt someone tugging at his shoulder.

"Wake up, Manning." It was David Vickers, his great uncle by marriage and a pain in the butt by coincidence. It also meant he had been dreaming.

Jack didn't like the look on David's face; he looked like he won something. "What do you want, David?"

"There's something I think you should see in the kitchen." David wanted this kid out of his brother and his BFF's lives sooner rather than later.

"What?"

"Oh, my BFF, the woman you like to call "Snooks," is in the kitchen telling your sisters about how my little bro made it official. I thought you should hear firsthand that Destiny is off-limits."

_Official?_ Destiny and Matthew? In Jack's mind, David's words struggled with the dream from which he'd just awakened. He suddenly felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. Still, though he and Destiny were technically just friends, something about her belonging to Matthew made him want to hit David. But his dad, Walker, and not the guy everyone now called Todd, always taught him not to let anyone get inside of his head. So, he shrugged to appear nonchalant.

Then he added, "Matthew and Snooks are together, huh? Cool. They 're going to have a kid together. So I guess it makes sense." Suddenly, he smiled as he remembered that his dad also taught him to get at least one parting shot in at enemy before he left a fight. He stood to leave David's presence "David, I wouldn't get too excited about Matthew and Destiny staying together, I mean, Starr and Cole were together for a while after Hope was born…sadly it didn't last. I guess you never know."

Jack pretended to head to his room, but when he was sure that David was gone, he slipped into the doorway of the kitchen. It was there that he heard that all David said was true.

"I'm so happy for you two," Starr gushed. "You and Matthew are perfect for each other."

Dani was somewhat less enthusiastic. "That's great Des…if that's what you want."

Jack was suddenly very grateful that Dani was his sister.

Destiny eyed Dani suspiciously. "What do you mean if that's what I want?"

"I mean…sometimes Matthew can be a bit of a jerk…and I don't think you should decide to be with him just because he's your baby's father. There are a lot of great guys out there."

"I don't care about other guys. I love Matthew."

"Then I'm really happy for you." Dani walked to where Destiny sat and gave her a hug.

Jack had heard enough. He wanted to scream, but he wouldn't have been able to explain it if he had. So, he quickly turned around and headed to the place he now thought of as "their" place…the little pond near the back of the estate. He picked up a handful of small pebbles from the path and began to skip them across the surface of the water.

"Is that the best you can do?" A familiar voice asked.

For a moment, Jack thought he was hearing things. He was almost afraid to turn around. Finally, he couldn't help himself. When he saw Walker, he could barely believe his eyes. He rushed to his "dad's" side and the two embraced.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked as he hugged Walker. "Everyone has been looking for you."

"I came to tell you something important, but it looks like you have something on your mind." For Walker, the hardest part of being away from Llanview had been missing his kids.

"Well, there is this girl I like and she's kind of with someone else. The jerk must have found out we were hanging out and suddenly asked her to be his girlfriend."

"A girl has you this worked up?" Walker grinned like crazy. When Todd came back he thought he'd missed the opportunity to have this father-son talk with Jack. "Is it anybody I know?"

Jack dropped his head before he answered, "Destiny."

Walker laughed out loud. "Destiny, huh? I like her. She's got spunk." From what he recalled from living with Dani, he knew Destiny and Darren had broken up months ago. But Jack said she was with someone. He thought for a minute and his mind flashed to Tea telling him years ago that she caught a wheelchair-bound Matthew Buchanan as he was about to kiss Destiny in the church before his mother's wedding. "Don't tell me she's with Nora's kid. I can't stand that kid after the way he treated your sister."

"Well, she's with him and they have a kid on the way." Jack threw another stone into the water.

Walker rubbed his chin and he began to pace. He smirked as he thought, Matthew moved from 0 to 60 in less than 10 seconds. The kid was definitely Asa's grandson, which also meant he would be a formidable opponent. And of course, Jack was only 16, the same age as Starr when she got pregnant. "You're pretty young to take on all of that responsibility. Destiny is going to be a mother and Matthew is always going to be in her life because of it. If you date Destiny, you are pretty much dating her kid, too. Are you sure you're okay with being there for another guy's kid?"

"The baby won't be another guy's kid if I help Destiny raise it…look at me and you."

There were times like this when everything he had gone through was worthwhile. Jack had just given him the most wonderful gift in accepting him despite the truth. He patted Jack on the shoulder. "Okay. First, you have to be prepared. Matthew is going to want to get you as far away from Destiny as possible. When she tells you that the two of you can't spend so much time together, agree to do whatever she wants. Then keep popping up. Let yourself need her. If you're sad, or hurt, or confused let her help you…women like that stuff. Then when you're together make her doubt whether Matthew is the one for her and remind her constantly about how important she is too you. And no matter what, if there's a chance that she can love you, don't walk away."

Jack digested Walker's words. Everything he said made sense. "You sound like you know what you're talking about."

"I do. It's what happened with Evangeline and me…and it's the same thing that happened with Todd and Rebecca. We kept at them until they fell in love with us, but then walked away from them because we felt we didn't deserve them. Now they're both dead. Life is short. If you want something or someone you have to go after it." Walker patted Jack on the shoulder. "You better get back to the house before someone comes out here looking for you."

"Are you coming with me?" Jack asked hopefully.

"No. And you can't tell anyone you saw me…no matter what. Jack, there are some very dangerous men who are after me. They won't hesitate to use you or anyone else I love to get to me. " He stood in front of Jack and placed both hands on the boy's shoulders. "No matter what happens, remember that you and your sisters mean everything to me. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad."

Jack took a couple of steps toward the path and he was surprised to see Destiny. "Hey Snooks, what brings you to our place?"

Destiny couldn't help smiling at the nickname that only Jack called her. She'd originally come over to the Manning residence to tell Jack about Matthew and her and to gush about the same with David, Dani and Starr. But David told her a few minutes before that he'd already spilled the beans. For some reason, she thought Jack might be a little more upset, but he seemed fine. She smiled as she realized that Matthew and David were completely wrong in their assessment that Jack had a thing for her. "David told me that he told you about me and Matthew."

"Yeah, congrats." Jack smiled as he thought of Walker's words of advice. "Matthew doesn't deserve you but he's lucky to have you."

"Why do you think Matthew doesn't deserve me?"

"Because you are amazing and he was an ass to Dani when they broke up. "You've been really great to me even after everything I did to Shane, so I'm not sure if any guy is good enough for you."

Destiny blushed as she wondered when Jack got to be so charming. Still, Jack calling Matthew an ass was the pot calling the kettle black. But if she were honest, she appreciated his protectiveness of both his sister and her. Matthew was wrong; she and all of the Manning kids were like family. Even so, she didn't want to upset Matthew while he was recuperating. "Jack, I know you and I have spent a lot of time together this summer, but I think we should probably spend a little less time together now that I'm with Matthew."

"He doesn't want us hanging out?" He took a step closer to her. "Gee Snooks, I never thought you would let someone pick your friends for you…but it's cool…even if it means I lose one of the best friends I've ever had." He gave her his best set of puppy dog eyes.

"I'm one of your best friends?" Destiny didn't know she meant so much to Jack.

"Yeah, but it's cool. I'm sure we'll be able to hang out again when Matthew blows it."

"Hey, Manning, stop talking smack about my boyfriend. Matthew's not going to blow it." She hoped.

"Sure he won't. You want to grab something to eat in the kitchen?"

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Destiny smiled as she realized Jack was still Jack. "I just told you that we couldn't hang out as much."

Jack looked shocked. "You would starve your kid to make Buchanan happy? I may have to call Social Services."

"Shut up." Destiny laughed out loud. "Fine. I'm starving. Let's go eat."

When they arrived in the kitchen they were surprised to see Jack's biological dad, Todd, whom Jack unaffectionately referred to as "Scarface."

"Hey Jack, is this your girlfriend?"

"No." Jack owed him no explanation.

"I'm Destiny. I'm a friend of Jack's…and Dani's." Whenever Destiny thought her life had taken an unexpected turn, she thought of her two friends who learned that their dad was another man and the man they believed was their dad was a fake. Maybe the original Todd wasn't so bad. Jack would never know if he didn't give him a chance. Destiny decided to make conversation. "So, it must be weird being back."

"Yeah, it's hard taking your life back after it's been stolen from you." Todd stared at Jack. "You're really not going to talk to me?"

"No."

She looked at her watch. She needed to get home anyway. With school starting the next day, she needed to go home and prepare herself mentally for her senior year…as a mommy-to-be. "Jack, I think we should postpone lunch. I'm going to head home you stay and talk to your dad."

He had nothing to say to Todd; he couldn't stand the guy. "He's not my dad and I think I lost my appetite. I'll walk you to the door."

The two walked in silence until they reached the door. Destiny could see the pain etched in Jack's face.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really…but I'll be fine. It helps having you as a friend. We are still friends, right?"

Destiny smiled. "Count on it. Call me if you need to talk."

"I will." Jack closed the door behind her and smiled. Walker was right. Destiny may have been Matthew's girlfriend, but Jack was not out of the game by a long shot.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi all, I love all of your reviews. You guys rock! I really hope you enjoy. _

The Tempest – Chapter 7

Matthew and Destiny sat quietly in the courtyard of his rehab center. He didn't feel much like talking. He hadn't since they decided to take a break from his parents and she wheeled him out to the courtyard. The chair brought back too many memories of when he was confined to the chair before. He was getting stronger, and could even take a few steps on his own, but none of it was fast enough. Still, it was bright and sunny and also the first day of school. He wondered what had Destiny feeling down.

Destiny sat on the bench beside his chair. As Matthew looked at her, he noticed their baby had become a little less "hideable" since the last time she'd been there a couple days ago.

"Des, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She answered a bit too quickly. This was Matthew and she knew he knew her well enough to know when something was wrong.

"Des…" he stared at her. "You might as well tell me because I'm not going to let it go." She remained silent. "Des?"

"Fine. Today wasn't the easiest day, okay? Justin and Becca said some pretty crappy stuff."

"Like what?" Matthew hated those kids and he hated that they had full access to Destiny when he wasn't around.

"It doesn't matter. It was just kind of mean." That was the understatement of the century. Becca taunted her by saying that the only reason Matthew touched her was because he thought he was going to prison. Justin added that now with the baby, Matthew would be trapped in a far worse prison than Statesville. The only thing that made them stop was the arrival of Jack and Dani who practically shadowed her between her classes after that. Things were looking up until 6th period English when she saw Darren, who wouldn't even look at her.

The teachers weren't any better. Mrs. Anderson, who used to be her favorite teacher, would barely look her in the eye. And later that day, Mrs. Anderson expressed her full disappointment. She told her that she expected so much more from her and that her future was in jeopardy now.

It wasn't as if Destiny didn't know she'd disappointed people. But she needed to move on and create a world where her baby could grow into a happy, healthy adult.

"I'm sorry you have to go through everything alone." Matthew moved his hand to her stomach. Their baby was there. It was a fact that still amazed him. "Has he started kicking yet?"

"Yes," Destiny smiled. "She does that from time to time. Maybe if you stop calling her a boy she'll kick for you."

"Maybe he only kicks you because you call him a girl."

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter. And then, it seemed their baby wanted to join. Right in the spot where Matthew's hand was resting, he felt a small push.

"Whoa Des, did you feel that?" Noticing the smirk on her face, he smiled. "Of course you felt that. That was amazing."

"Yeah, it's not really amazing at 3:00 in the morning." She chuckled.

"I wish I could be there with you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You wish you could be at Shaun's at 3 in the morning? That's what we call a death wish."

"I don't mean just at Shaun's, I mean for everything. " He lifted his hand from her stomach and balled it into a fist, which he pounded against the arm of his chair. "I feel like I'm missing out on so much being in this stupid place."

"You'll be there for the important stuff." Destiny stretched her hand out and took his in her own. "I know something we can do together, right now."

Maybe she was suggesting a makeout session. He'd wanted to kiss her since she got there, but his parents were around. He raised his eyebrow and allowed a faint smile to appear at his lips.

Destiny shook her head. "I don't know what you're thinking, Matthew, but that eyebrow is what got us in this position in the first place." She giggled as she watched the surprised look cross his brow. "Seriously, I was thinking we should start figuring out what we are going to name her."

"How about Desmond, after you? Because you are going to be pretty disappointed when she turns out to be a he."

"Ha, ha." Destiny poked him in the arm. "What do you think about Babe?" She teased him hoping to improve his mood.

"It's great for a stripper, which I don't see any child of yours or mine becoming."

Destiny touched her stomach. Matthew was thinking about their baby's future. Something about that gave her chills. "What do you see our child becoming?"

"The CEO of Buchanan Enterprises…if he or she wants to."

Destiny thought about the number of children and grandchildren Matthew's Uncle Clint had. There was Cord, CJ, Kevin, Joey, Jessica, Natalie, Rex, Shane, Liam and Ryder and who knows who else. "She or he might have a little competition for that spot from your Uncle Clint's side."

"Right, but with you as his…"

"Or her…"

He smiled. She was relentless. "With you as his or her mother, our kid will be the superstar of the family."

In a surprise move, she leaned over and kissed him. He kissed her back as much as he could. He could feel the arm of the wheelchair pushing into his ribs. And he hated it. When he could no longer take the pressure in his side, he pulled back. Still, he felt so much better than he had before she came. Destiny always had that affect on him. It was one of the things he loved about her.

Loved? He looked at her large, cat-like eyes and her bright smile. Yep, he loved her and he was pretty sure that he had loved her for a while. His heart began to race.

"Matthew, why are you staring at me?"

"I just…" He couldn't tell her, not now, not with him feeling so helpless. What if he never fully recovered? He would not keep her tied down. No, he would wait until he was sure he could take her in his arms and make her feel safe from the outside judgments of the world to tell her. He would wait until she knew he was with her because he wanted to be and not just because he didn't think no one else would be with him. "I'm glad you came today."

"Me too."

He leaned into kiss her and found himself smiling.

"What?" she blushed.

"You're beautiful." He kissed her again until he heard the clearing of his dad's throat. Destiny began to blush as soon as she realized it was his dad.

"Mr. B. I'm sorry. We were just…"

"Kissing." Matthew interrupted her and somehow caused her to blush more. He shook his head at her. "Des, it's okay. You're my girlfriend. People expect us to be kissing."

Bo laughed at the shock on Destiny's face and at the realization that Matthew had inherited all of his Asa's chutzpah. "He's right Destiny. That's why I came out instead of Matthew's mother. She still thinks of him as her little boy…despite the fact that she's about to be a grandmother."

"Dad…" Matthew sighed.

"Why don't the two of you humor us and come back inside?" Bo knew Nora was getting antsy. She was terrified that Matthew was getting overwhelmed with the challenges he was facing and his impending fatherhood. Bo knew he was fine. Destiny seemed to steady him in a way that no one else could.

Matthew and Destiny humored his parents and returned to his room. They enjoyed the rest of the afternoon together.

The next day at school, Destiny recounted the whole visit to Dani at her locker. Dani listened attentively and provided her with smiles at all the right places in the conversation.

"You and Matthew seem pretty solid."

"We are…"

Dani sensed hesitation in Destiny's voice and she pounced on it immediately. "You are, but…"

"I don't know."

Dani could tell that something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Des?"

Destiny let out a big sigh. "It's just that for a minute, I thought Matthew was going to say that he loved me."

"And?"

"And he thanked me for coming." Disappointment was etched on Destiny's face.

"Wait, Matthew has told you he loved you before, right?"

Destiny sighed and she leaned against her locker. "No."

"What is he waiting for?" Dani joined her against the locker. She couldn't believe that Matthew hadn't told Destiny he loved her. They had a baby on the way and she always had his back. He so didn't deserve her. But maybe that meant her brother still had a chance.

"Do you think Matthew is in love with you?"

"I don't know, I guess." Destiny shrugged. "Most of the time it seems like it and then he pulls back."

Dani would not see her friend sad. "Des, I wouldn't worry about it. Things have a way of working themselves out." She checked her watch. "Hey, let's go to the Buenos Dias for lunch. Some flan will cheer you up."

The two girls walked off arm and arm. Neither of them saw Jack emerge from around the corner where he had been eavesdropping. He smiled. In his mind, he laughed at he thought of Matthew's foolishness. Destiny was an amazing woman. If Matthew wanted leave her twisting with uncertainty about his feelings then so be it. That just meant Matthew had given him the opening he had been looking for…and he damn sure was going to take it.


	9. Chapter 9

Hi all. Thanks for the reviews. Jack's back. Hope you like it.

The Tempest – Chapter 8

Destiny could hardly believe a month of school had passed so soon. And time, much to her relief, was her greatest ally. Matthew was so much better that he anticipated being back at school for the second semester of their senior year. Although her stomach had grown a bit more since the first day of school, the kids and the teachers paid significantly less attention. She was also getting her best grades ever…thanks to a certain friend of hers throwing her own advice back at her.

Her mind flashed back to the fourth day of school. Her-baby induced hormones were making her want to cry at the slightest thing. And then she heard Justin and Becca call her "Density," just as he had done during her freshman year. Freshman year, she had Matthew by her side, also being teased because he was in a wheelchair. But the second day of her Senior year was worse than all of her preceding three years. Justin and Becca picked up just where they'd left off on the first day.

_Flashback. _After hearing Justin and Becca state all of the ways she'd "trapped" Matthew, Destiny ran away to the same gym where she'd seen Shane humiliated the year before by Jack and his friends. She prided herself on being strong and she hated herself for running. Once there, she crumbled onto the stage into a pile of tears…until Jack walked in. The irony of feeling relieved when she saw Jack walk into the gym wasn't lost on her. It reminded her of how much time changed things.

"Snooks, what's wrong?"

Destiny sat up on her elbows. "I can't do this. I can't keep coming here everyday. It's too hard. Everyone has an opinion about me or something mean to say."

Jack slid onto the stage beside her and pulled her against him where she rested her head on his shoulder. With his thumbs, he wiped the tears from her eyes. Destiny recalled that she felt a strange electricity from the touch and it made her move away from him. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Destiny broke the silence. "I'm going to go to alternative school." She'd done some research and learned that there was a school for pregnant girls not too far from where she lived.

"You can't do that."

"Why not? At least I can go to school in peace without worrying about what everyone thinks."

In a surprise move, Jack kissed her forehead before pulling her closer to him. It made her feel safe.

Then Jack spoke, "You can't run away because you're only going because you're worried about what people here think." He took her hand is his own. In school, he felt free. Matthew didn't have many friends left in school and David wasn't around to watch him like a hawk. "Snooks, someone once told me, "You get to choose who you are and what you want to be in life. If I have to do it, you do, too." He added with his cheesiest voice, "."

Destiny laughed. Though Jack was joking, he had turned things around. He was doing well in his classes and he avoided most of the jerks he hung out with when he terrorized Jack. His mother often invited her to dinner, but she never came because David made her feel so guilty about being Jack's friend.

Jack interlaced his fingers with hers. "I really need you to take your own advice because I don't know how I could get through being here without you…and Dani."

"You'd do fine."

"Nope, I'll go back to hanging with people like Brad, who I don't even like. You keep me from feeling so angry all the time. You and me are going to prove all those other losers that they're wrong about us." –_end Flashback._

She would have never thought it was possible, but Jack inspired her to keep going…and to ace her classes. The only class that she struggled with was Spanish. Fortunately, her best friend's mother spoke Spanish fluently.

Destiny arrived at The Delgado household at 5 p.m. with her Spanish homework in tow. Tea was the first to greet her. "Buenos noches, Corazon. Como te sientes?"

Destiny didn't have a clue what Dani's mom was asking. She simply shrugged helplessly. Then she heard Jack's voice.

"She wants to know how you're feeling?"

She looked at Jack with surprise before offering Tea a smile. "I'm tired."

Tea lifted Destiny's chin with her hand. "En español, por favor?"

"Estoy cansada."

"Muy bien." Tea poked her cheek. "I'm going to put on the empanadas and then I'll be back." Tea headed toward the kitchen.

Destiny refocused her attention on Jack. Part of her was thrilled to see him and another part felt disloyal to Matthew for being so glad to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"We have an exam tomorrow. Remember?"

Destiny eyed him suspiciously. Jack was one of the best students in their second-year Spanish class, no doubt due to being around Dani's mom and he was the only junior in the class. Jack had conveniently tested into Spanish 2 and had landed in her same class...something she neglected to mention to Matthew. "I remember and I'm sure you're going to ace it."

"Yeah, probably, but this way I get to eat empanadas, study and hang out with you. It's a win all the way around." He smiled as Destiny blushed at the compliment.

The truth was Dani called and told Jack that Destiny would be there tonight and she also volunteered to make herself scarce. That still left Tea to deal with, but he had come up with a plan in which Tea would, unknowingly, play a part as well. Even he was surprised at the lengths he was willing to go to win Destiny's heart, but he had to do what he had to do.

"Hey Des," Dani bounced downstairs and hugged her friend.

"Hey." Destiny suspected that Dani was behind Jack's appearance. Lately, it seemed that when Dani was involved she wound up spending time with Jack…often alone. She hadn't minded, at first. She figured Dani felt guilty for spending so much time with Jeff. Now, she felt she should be more cautious.

Jack had always been a perfect gentleman…except for the frequent digs he took at Matthew. But Jack wasn't the problem, she was. Her hormones had her noticing things she hadn't noticed before like his thick, perfectly-coiffed hair, his broad shoulders or his beautiful green eyes. She often reminded herself that she loved Matthew and that any physical attraction she felt for Jack was a symptom of missing Matthew. She also reminded herself that Jack was only 16 and if she was too young to be going through parenthood, he was definitely too young. Then she chastised herself for even thinking about him in _that way_.

During dinner they made small talk, which included talk of their birthdays. In a strange twist, their birthdays were very close together; his was on October 10th and hers was on October 21st. Dani suggested they have a family party to celebrate both of them. Destiny reluctantly agreed. She assumed Matthew would hate it, but she figured she might be able to convince him to come...assuming he was home by then.

After dinner, when they finished the most amazing empanadas she'd ever tasted, Destiny, Jack and Tea sat at the table studying for their exam. Dani disappeared. When most of their work was done, Jack started peppering Tea with questions about how to say certain phrase…some of which were indecent. Then he asked a question that stopped Destiny's heart…at least momentarily.

"Tea, "Como se dice (how do you say), I'm falling in love with you?"

Although Jack asked the question of Tea, Destiny felt his eyes focusing in her. She squirmed uncontrollably in her chair.

Tea touched Jack's hand causing him to focus on her. Her touch surprised him. Jack wasn't even sure when he stopped seeing anyone else at the table.

"Why do you want to know how to say that?" Tea asked with surprise. "Who are you in love with mejio?"

"Destiny…"

For a moment Destiny couldn't breathe. She silently told herself to calm down and let Jack finish his sentence.

He continued, "I'm asking for Destiny. I thought she might want to say it to Matthew…or someone. I mean, I remember how much Dad used to love it when you spoke Spanish to him."

Before Tea could answer, the doorbell rang. She looked from Destiny to Jack and then back to Destiny. "I think I'll get that."

Jack refocused his attention on Destiny. "Estoy enamorado de ti."

Destiny's voice quivered as she asked, "What?"

Jack smiled. "I remembered how to say it. Estoy enamorado de ti." He stared at her. Then he dropped his head before he added, "You know, in case you want to say it to Matthew…You must say it to each other all of the time…especially with the baby on the way."

Destiny frowned as she thought, Jack was wrong. Matthew remained pretty tight-lipped about how he felt about her. Sure they kissed, held hands and talked about the future, but part of her wondered if he was just with her for the baby…much like Justin and Becca implied. She sighed, "It's getting late. I should go."

Before Destiny could leave Tea returned with Dani and Todd in toe. Tea spoke first. "Look who I found."

"Hey Jack." Todd turned to Destiny before he added. "Hi, Jack's pregnant girlfriend, who is not carrying my second grandchild, right?"

"Todd…" Tea chided.

Destiny shook her head. "Nope, the baby is still an Evans-Buchanan…and I'm Jack's friend and Matthew's girlfriend."

Todd shook his head, "Good to know. I really don't want to have my second kid have a kid at 16. Still, you might have been better off if the baby was Jack's. I'm not sure what you could have seen in Nora's kid, especially if he's as self-righteous as his mother."

Destiny smiled politely knowing that Mrs. B. hated Todd, both the Walker-version and the scarred-version as much as they hated her. Dani had promised to give her a ride home and this seemed to be as good of a time to leave as any. She called upstairs, "Dani. "I've got to go…"

Jack walked up and stood toe to toe with Todd. He wanted to punch him. "Why do you have to be such a jerk? She hasn't done anything to you."

"Why don't you back off?" Todd inched closer to Jack's face before backing away. "I wasn't trying actually giving you a compliment…not offend your knocked up girlfriend."

And this time Dani bounced down the stairs, but froze just short of reaching the bottom as she watched her dad and her brother get into it.

"You should shut up before I make you shut up." Jack balled his hand into a fist.

Destiny noticed Jack's fist and called his name loudly. "Jack, if you don't mind, I need you to take me home." She looked to Dani who simply nodded. "I think Jack and I need to talk." He remained toe to toe with Todd, until she called his name again.

"Sure." Jack mumbled before he turned and grabbed his car keys.

Destiny took Jack by the hand and pulled him toward the door. Once they were inside the truck, he banged his fists against the steering wheel. "I hate that guy! He had no right to say that to you."

"Jack," Destiny touched his arm before continuing. "You can't keep finding reasons to hate your dad. All he did was tell the truth…about the baby, at least. In case you hadn't noticed there is a baby in here." She pointed to her stomach. Then she swallowed hard because she knew she could no longer avoid having the conversation she'd dreaded with Jack. "And you are too young to be a father."

"Destiny, I'm not a kid. You're only a year older than I am and I'm the same age as Starr when she had Hope." Jack stared straight ahead; he was afraid if he looked at her, she would see his frustration.

She smiled at his sensitivity to their age difference. "Starr was too young. I'm sure she'll tell you the same thing herself. Truth is Matthew and I are too young, but we put ourselves in this situation so we have to deal. What do you see in me anyway?" She touched his hand causing him to face her. Once more she pointed at her stomach. "You know as time goes on my stomach is just going to get bigger and bigger, right."

Jack took her hand into his. How could he make her understand that the baby wouldn't scare him away, "All I notice when I look at you is you…and you are beautiful. I want to be with you and the baby doesn't scare me."

Jack leaned in sending his lips on a path to kissing Destiny. He noticed she didn't move away, which seemed to propel him closer. When he was close enough to hear her breathing and marvel and the length of her eyelashes…her phone rang.

The sound of her phone ringing made her jump. The sight of the caller's picture caused her heart to race more. It was Matthew. "Matthew, can I call you back in a few minutes? I can't talk right now…I just can't."

Jack was annoyed hearing her call Matthew's name, yet he still felt encouraged. She would have kissed him if not for the call. When she hung up, Jack was the first to break the silence.

"Snooks, I'm sorry…"

Destiny sighed deeply. She felt horrible about what almost happened. "Jack, I just want you to take me home. Can you do that?"

"Yeah sure."

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Although she told him he didn't need to walk her to her door, he did…in silence. She said, a simple, 'goodbye' before closing the door in his face."

As Jack drove home, he smiled to himself. He was getting to her. He arrived back at Tea's house; he preferred it to any place David Vickers lived. He was a bit annoyed to find Todd still there, playing a board game with Tea. Within 30 seconds of Jack's return home, Todd asked to see him in the kitchen.

When Jack and Todd were alone, Jack lit into him. "What do you think you were doing talking smack about Destiny?"

Todd began munching on an apple. "Did you or did you not stop by my office this afternoon and tell me to come to Tea's house and make you angry?"

Jack knew Destiny would want to comfort him after an unpleasant exchange with Todd…and she did. Still, Todd made her feel bad. That was not part of the deal.

"She's off-limits, you got that?"

"Look, she needed to feel like you hated me. So, I had to make you angry enough that it would look believable. Your girlfriend seems to be the only thing you care enough to get angry about. I'm guessing it worked. Are you going to thank me?"

Jack felt like dirt. He felt as though by going to Todd, he'd been disloyal to his Dad, Walker. He also knew Destiny would be furious if she found out he played her. "Yeah thanks. Now do me a favor."

"Anything," Todd wanted desperately to get to know his son.

"Stay out of my life." Jack marched up the stairs leaving Todd silent and confused.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi all, I'm still on the fence about the ultimate outcome and I will probably do an alternate ending for either Des/Jack or Des/Matt. Anyhow, this chapter does not mean it's over for Matt and Des._

**The Tempest – Chapter 9**

Destiny stared out of the window at the rehab facility. The grounds were beautiful. Red, yellow and orange tree leaves made a beautiful rainbow above the ground. Today, she'd driven up to the facility with Shaun who had commented more than once that she was curiously quiet. She couldn't help it. All she could think about was almost kissing Jack. As if the guilt wasn't bad enough, wondering what kissing Jack would have been like made her feel worse.

Fortunately, when they arrived Matthew was still at a therapy session and Shaun decided to visit his favorite coffee shop that was located about three blocks away. Destiny needed the time to herself. She needed to get it together and focus on what was important: her baby and Matthew. Unfortunately, Jack kept invading her thoughts.

"What are you thinking about, beautiful?"

As she heard the familiar voice, she felt a hand slip around her waist and rest on her belly. A breath of air rose into her throat as she tried to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming. Then she looked down and saw the familiar hand with the sole freckle on the outside of the index finger, just below the knuckle.

"Matthew?" She wanted to turn around and look, but she was afraid. What if he disappeared right before her eyes?

"Des, turn around."

When she did, she saw the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen. Matthew was standing in front of her, holding only a simple cane. His thick dark hair was falling into his eyes and his familiar smile was on display just for her. Best yet, he walked in the room without the assistance of an orderly. "Oh my gosh…when did you start…why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to surprise you for your birthday." His grandma, Renee, had helped him plan a perfect birthday dinner for Destiny at the Palace Restaurant. Still, David insisted that he not wait to tell her. And honestly with her birthday still two weeks away, he wasn't sure he could hold the surprise, anyway.

"I'm glad you didn't wait." She squeezed his torso tightly. She took a deep breath

He kissed the top of her head and for the first time, he noticed that she had changed her hair. "Your braids are gone."

"I took them out yesterday." With her eighteenth birthday and her impending motherhood approaching, she felt it was time for a more grown up look. She touched her hair. "You don't like it?"

He took a step back and allowed his eyes to examine not only her hair but also everything between her head and her feet. Their baby had enhanced her already well-defined curves. He raised an eyebrow and then gave her a knowing smile. "You look perfect."

Destiny blushed. "Matthew."

"It's true. You look just the way you do in my dreams…right before I kiss you." He moved swiftly to allow his lips to graze hers. For a second, as he kissed her he felt like something was off. And then she pulled away. "Des, what's wrong?"

There were times like now that she hated that Matthew knew her better than anyone. Of course there was something wrong. She'd almost cheated on Matthew by kissing Jack. Even though she hadn't kissed Jack, she hated the fact that she would have kissed him if Matthew's call hadn't interrupted. More than anything, she hated that she wanted to. "Why do you think something is wrong?"

"Because I know you. Is everything okay with the baby?" He'd missed so many ultrasounds and prenatal appointments due to being trapped in the facility. He wondered if she'd heard some news she was afraid to tell him.

Matthew's worried look made her feel worse. "The baby is fine…only eighteen weeks to go," she said with a frown. She'd already been pregnant twenty-two weeks, which seemed like an eternity and she was barely past the halfway point. She walked to his bed and sat the edge. "I guess you just surprised me."

"It's a good surprise, right." He joined her on his bed and took her hand in his own. "I hated the thought of you changing the baby…and me." He dropped his head. "Doesn't exactly make for an ideal living situation."

"Living situation?"

"Yeah." Matthew kissed the back of her hand. "I figured the easiest way for us to raise our baby together was if we lived together. There is a condo in my parents' building that is totally affordable. That also means it's super-close to Shaun's place and LU."

"You want to move in together?" Destiny tried to process Matthew's words. They'd never been on a real date and now, he was talking about the two of them moving in together. "Don't you think that's moving a little too fast?"

"Fast?" He raised an eyebrow. "Des, with all that we've been through, we could hardly call this fast. Let's see, you stood by me through two critical injuries, me thinking I was a murderer and my dad being shot. I've been with you through Shaun almost dying and the drama with Greg. And Dr. Saybrook almost shot us both. Oh yeah, and you're going to have my baby in four months. So no, I don't think it's fast. We have to get ready to be parents."

"We don't have to live under the same roof to be parents together."

"Yeah, but why wouldn't we? We have a baby on the way and we love each other…don't we?"

"Do we?" She asked sincerely. She knew she loved him, yet she wondered if she could still be in love with him given her growing attraction to Jack. And if Matthew was in love with her, he'd forgotten to mention it.

"I know I love you…and I thought you loved me." Matthew was jarred by her response. He would have staked his life on Destiny loving him. Though he was a little late to the game when it came to realizing they belonged together, she'd always known. Worst of all she was hesitating. "Des, you do love me don't you?"

"Of course I do." The problem was she was terrified that she was falling in love with someone else, too. She took a deep breath as the awful truth came crashing down on her. She turned to the side, half-afraid that Matthew would see it in her eyes.

Matthew's heart sank. Something was off with Destiny and he had a sinking feeling that his brother, David, was right and Jack Manning was somehow to blame. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach, he found his voice. "Is it someone else?"

"I don't know." The words surprised Destiny even as they crossed her lips.

Suddenly, Matthew felt the anger rise within. For weeks, he'd thought of nothing but getting whole and healthy to make it back to Destiny and their baby. Now, she was telling him that she might have given her heart to someone else. "What do you mean you don't know, Destiny? It's a simple question. Are you with someone else?"

Destiny could hear the anger oozing over each of Matthew's words. Still, even more than being her boyfriend, Matthew was her best friend. She owed him the truth…whatever it was, no matter what. "No, I'm not with anyone else. Matthew, you know I would never cheat on you. It's just something happened yesterday…"

"What do you mean something happened?" His eyes demanded the truth.

The intensity of his gaze coupled with the deafening silence in the room was too much to bear. Tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Jack almost kissed me and I would have let him if you hadn't called."

"Jack? As in Jack Manning? The same Jack Manning you told me was just a friend? The one I asked you to stay away from?"

"It just happened. We were studying for a Spanish test."

"You have a class with him? And you chose not to tell me about it? Why would you do that?"

"Because I didn't want to upset you. David had filled your head with all that junk about something going on between Jack and me. I knew if I told you, you would ask me to give up my friend."

"Except he was a lot more than your friend, wasn't he? And you chose to lie to me about your relationship with him than to stay away from him."

"I never lie." Destiny wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. She tried her best to stop the disobedient tears from falling. The truth was that Matthew never asked her to stay away from Jack, he told her to tell Jack to stay away from her. Given all that he was going through with his dad being gone and his strained relationship with his biological dad, it didn't seem right to abandon him. Still, she could offer no defense. So, she didn't say anymore.

Matthew felt lost. The silence between them was ten times worse than any argument. He was the first to break the silence. "Are you in love with him?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? What the hell kind of answer is that?" He stared at Destiny as he waited for her to respond. She didn't. "I think you should stay away from me until you figure it out."

Though Destiny thought she couldn't possibly feel worse, Matthew spoke the words that felt like a thousand tiny daggers in her heart. She spoke through tears, "Matthew, I don't want us to break up."

"Yeah, well being with me while you're in love with someone else, doesn't work for me."

"Matthew, I-"

"Just go, Destiny."

Scooping up her purse from a bedside table where it rested, she practically ran from the room. As soon as she was gone Matthew picked up his cane and threw at the door. What was the point of working so hard; only to lose everything he worked for?

When Shaun arrived at the lobby of the rehab center and found Destiny in a puddle of tears, he had two thoughts. The first was to comfort his sister; the second was to break Matthew Buchanan into half.

"What's wrong, D?" He immediately pulled her into his arms.

She sniffled, before blurting, "We broke up."

The heat rose to Shaun's collar and choked him about his neck. "He gets you pregnant and then breaks up with you? I'm going to put a hurting on that boy so bad…" He began to pull away from her.

"It's not his fault."

"Destiny, I'm tired of you protecting him. Now, me and Matthew are going to have a talk."

"Wait. It's my fault." She grabbed Shaun's arm. "Shaun, I told him, I think I might love with someone else."

"You what?" Shaun practically yelled. He knew the answer to his next question and he hated it. "Jack Manning?"

Destiny dropped her head as she wondered if she'd been that obvious. "It just happened."

"What happened?" Shaun snapped more than he intended. He hoped he didn't have to place Jack on his kill list.

"We almost kissed."

Shaun sighed, "That's it?"

"That's enough. What kind of person goes around almost kissing her friends when the father of her child is in a rehab center relearning how to walk?"

Shaun pulled her into his arms once more. He kissed the top of her head. "Maybe a person who has been under too much stress for the last six months. Jack has been your escape from all of the drama that you and Matthew have been through, lately. Maybe you love more than anything that you don't have to think about any of it when you're with Jack."

"When I'm with him, he makes me feel like I'm the only person in the world." Destiny sniffled once more.

"Just promise me that whatever you do, you'll take your time and not rush into anything with Matthew or Jack."

"Not much chance of rushing into anything with Matthew, since he's not even speaking to me."

Shaun smiled at her. "D, I wouldn't worry about Matthew, he's got a good head on his shoulders. He'll be back. So, promise me you'll take your time and not jump into anything?"

"I promise."

"Good," he kissed the top of her head. "Now, let's go."

That evening, Destiny altered between trying to call Matthew and ignoring Jack's calls. When she was physically exhausted she curled herself into a ball and began to cry. When the tears were gone, she touched her belly and said, "Don't worry baby. I promise you I will fix this somehow."


	11. Chapter 11

_Hi all, I looooooooove your replies. Here's the next chapter and it may have to hold you until Sunday. (I'll try to get another one posted this weekend, but I'm not sure I can make it happen.) I think this one will make the Jestiny fans happy, but also leave the Matt and Des fans feeling okay. I hope you enjoy!_

**The Tempest – Chapter 11**

The Monday, after her breakup with Matthew, Destiny didn't want to get out of bed for school. Still, she knew it was time. She had been in bed from the time she returned home from Matthew's rehab facility until she awoke that Monday morning. Shaun had begun to worry. And honestly, she knew she couldn't stay in bed forever. She also could not afford to miss any days of school because she would probably miss more when the baby arrived.

Both Dani and Jack telephoned her nonstop over the weekend, but she couldn't talk to either of them. If she talked to Dani, she would tell her about Matthew. If she told Dani, Dani would tell Jack and she wasn't ready for the conversation she was sure to have with Jack. Dani would also want to meet with her and she would probably bring Jack along. Even the thought of Jack made her feel guilty.

That morning, she managed to avoid Dani and Jack. Still, she wandered through the familiar hallway feeling unusually lost. When she was just feet away from her locker, her heart nearly stopped as she saw Jack waiting. He looked taller somehow, even more imposing than normal. She tried to get away before he saw her, but it was too late.

He called out, "Snooks, wait. Where are you going?" He touched her arm to keep her from leaving.

"I have class." She snapped as she pulled away from his grasp.

"Why are you avoiding me? Is it because of what happened the other night?"

She took a deep breath and decided to face the inevitable...talking, at least a little to Jack. She opened her locker, doing her best to avoid eye contact with him. "I really don't want to talk about it, okay?"

Jack leaned against the locker next to hers. "Destiny, I thought we were friends."

"We are." His use of her real name caught her attention. She closed her locker and leaned back against it. Where should she start? Did she begin with how she broke Matthew's heart because she might have feelings for him? That would open another can of worms. "It's complicated."

"Too complicated for us to talk about?" He grabbed her right hand and held it. "You know you can talk to me."

Before she could say a word, another complication she hadn't expected came around the corner: Matthew. Her mouth dropped. Matthew wasn't supposed to be in school for another couple of months. She knew the moment their eyes met that he was still furious. Destiny could tell he planned to ignore her, but she couldn't let him.

"Matthew!" She called out pitifully. "Can we talk?"

"What do you want to talk about, Des? How you cheated on me with Jack? How for all of your self-righteousness about Langston and Dani, you're exactly like them." He was furious. Destiny was supposed to love him. It had always been an unspoken promise between them, even when he hadn't deserved it.

The tears began to well in her eyes. "I never cheated on you. I just asked you for some time."

"And that's why you're here…with him?" He eyed Jack with disgust and he immediately noticed they were holding hands. Jack Manning was a 16-year-old kid and a bratty one at that. What did Destiny see in him? "You want to talk, fine. Let's set some ground rules. As long as you insist on being with Jack…"

"I'm not with Jack."

"Whatever." He couldn't believe she would deny it when he'd caught them together. "As long as you are hanging out with Jack, you and I have nothing to say to each other. Unless you want to talk to me about our baby, you pretend I don't exist. Got it?" Matthew turned and began to walk away.

"What was that all about?" Jack wore a confused look on his face.

"I told you, I don't want to talk about it."

She closed her locker and walked away from Jack, except, she didn't realize he continued to follow her. All she saw was Justin and Becca. As she passed them, Justin said to Becca loudly enough for everyone in the hallway to hear, "See, Becca, not even a baby could make Matthew stick with Density."

Destiny wanted to cry, harder than she'd already started to cry when speaking with Matthew. But before she could, she was startled by the sound of Jack's voice.

"What did you say to her?"

Before he could stop himself, Jack had Justin pinned to a nearby locker. He wanted to strangle the punk…even as he realized he once was a different version of Justin with the way he treated Shane. And it was because Destiny knew exactly who he was and she had chosen to accept him that he would not allow them to hurt her. At that moment, Jack vowed mentally to pummel Justin, even though he could hear Destiny calling him and begging him to stop.

Surprisingly, another voice that brought him back to the present. It was Matthew.

"Justin you're an idiot. " Matthew had a sad look in his eyes. Although the truth hurt him, he couldn't let Justin and Becca humiliate Destiny. So, he knew what to say to make them stop. "If you want to know the truth, Destiny dumped me to be with Jack. And the only good thing I can see coming from that is that he's about to kick your ass."

Matthew walked away. Destiny turned to follow him. Matthew had stopped Justin and Becca from tormenting her. Maybe he was extending an olive branch. Maybe she could still make him understand that she was cheating on him.

Jack, on the other hand, thought he was dreaming as he heard Matthew's words. Although Destiny had been avoiding him, Matthew said that Destiny had dumped him so they could be together. So, why was she avoiding his calls? She must have been afraid of what she was feeling. But what was she afraid of? He would never hurt her. Jack turned to look for Destiny. And while he looked for her, he failed to see the sucker punch from Justin.

At the sound of Justin's fist hitting Jack's face, Destiny turned back to face Justin and Jack. She watched helplessly as Matthew walked away and Jack fell to the ground. Her heart felt torn into two, the same way it had for weeks. Still, the immediate circumstances made her choice easy: Jack needed her right now and Matthew wouldn't talk to her.

As Destiny arrived at his side, she touched his eye that was quickly beginning to swell. "Are you okay?"

Jack felt no pain. Instead, he looked up at her and smiled. "Is what Matthew said true? Did you dump him for me?"

"No!" She protested too much.

Jack sat up on his elbows. "Then why would he say that?"

"Because he's overreacting. I don't want to talk about this now." A crowd had gathered due to the scuffle between Justin and Jack. Some were still standing nearby listening and Destiny had no desire to have them in her business. " We need to get you to the nurse." Destiny stood and extended a hand to help Jack from the ground. He didn't release it as they walked to the Nurse's office.

Ms. Collins, the school nurse, greeted Jack with skepticism. "Mr. Manning, I see that this year, you're coming to the nurse's office instead of sending people here. Have a seat." Jack sat on the makeshift exam table.

"He was protecting me," Destiny said, quietly. She felt badly as she noticed the way his eye was swelling. Instinctively, her hand reached to touch the redness that surrounded his eyes, but she stopped when she noticed Ms. Collins looking at her protruding baby bump.

"Well," the nurse said, "I see impending fatherhood has changed you."

"He's not the..." Destiny began before Jack cut her off.

"Thank you. And you're right, I'm a changed man." Jack grinned at the nurse. Destiny pushed him in the arm. She should be furious with him for even implying he was the baby's father, but something about the gesture made her smile.

The nurse handed Destiny an ice pack to hold on Jack's eye while she completed some paperwork in the other room. Destiny moved to Jack's side and held the ice pack in place with both hands. Jack felt emboldened by the knowledge that Matthew and Destiny broken up. He slipped his hands onto her waste near her belly; she didn't make him move them. But, she hated that she felt a certain electricity from his touch.

She spoke softly. "Jack, you shouldn't have let Ms. Collins think that this was your baby…"

"Snooks," he practically whispered. He didn't want to scare her into running again. "I don't care about what anyone thinks but you. Why did you and Matthew break up? It's okay you can tell me. I promise I won't hurt you."

Destiny took a deep breath, knowing that she would have one shot at getting the words out. "He broke up with me because I told him that you and I almost kissed."

"If he would break up with you for that, he doesn't deserve you."

It was more than that and she knew it. Still, she wasn't ready to spill her guts. "Actually, I think he broke up with me because I told him I might have feelings for someone else."

Jack grinned at her. "Is it someone in this room?"

"Maybe." Though it felt like her world was falling apart less than ten minutes ago, she couldn't help smiling at Jack teasing her.

"And these feelings that you have for whoever this guy is, are they warm and fuzzy friendly feelings or are they make you weak in the knees feelings?"

"Did you really just say warm and fuzzy?" She found herself giggling.

"I did. My turn to ask you a question. Did you tell Matthew you had feelings for me?" He stopped smiling and stared at her.

Now it was her turn to stop laughing. She bit her bottom lip before giving him a simple nod.

Jack moved her hand with the icepack from his eyes. Then he touched her face. As he leaned closer to her mouth, he noticed that just like in his dream, Destiny wasn't moving. This time there was no David or ringing of Destiny's cell phone to keep their lips from meeting. And this time, their lips met. At first, the kiss was soft and slightly uncertain, but within a minute or so, their kisses became more intense. Jack didn't want Destiny out of his arms and he probably wouldn't have let her go if he hadn't heard Ms. Collins loudly clearing her throat.

After school, when Matthew made it home, his dad was sitting on the sofa going through some paperwork. Bo smiled at Matthew as he saw him enter. "How's it going, Bud?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Matthew headed straight to his room and closed the door. Once inside he plopped on his bed. And then he remembered that he'd only slept there once since being with Destiny for the first and now, maybe the last time. The thought made him want her and hate her at the same time. He reached into his drawer and pulled out the last remnant of his dream.

A few minutes later, Bo entered uninvited. For a second, he thought his eyes were betraying him as he saw Matthew holding what looked like Matthew's grandmother Renee's engagement ring. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah, I guess I better to give this back to Grandma Renée. Especially now, since the woman I was going to ask marry me is with Jack Manning."

"Destiny is with Jack?" Bo had wondered why Destiny was not a part of the group to welcome Matthew home from the hospital on Sunday. He thought maybe she wasn't feeling well. Then he began to process Matthew's words. "Wait a minute, you were going to propose to Destiny?"

"Yeah, I asked Grandma Renee to bring this when she came to visit. Looks like she made a wasted trip." He folded the ring in his hand.

Bo raised an eyebrow at his son. He hated to see him so defeated. "Do you really think you and Destiny were ready to be married? You are both pretty young."

"Dad, Destiny and I have been through more than most people twice are ages. I love her and I thought she loved me."

"Son, if there is one thing I know, it's that Destiny loves you. She's stood by you through things that no one else would. When you were in your coma, she practically lived at your bedside. Are you sure she's with Jack?"

"If she's not, she will be soon." Matthew lay back on his bed.

"Well, that sucks." Bo shook his head. Jack Manning was an over indulged punk whose family bought him out of a prison sentence. Bo sat on the bed beside Matthew. "At least it kept you from making the mistake of proposing."

Matthew frowned as he sat up on his elbows. "How can you say it would have been a mistake? I thought you liked Destiny?"

"I love Destiny like a daughter. I just don't think the two of you are ready to get married. Son, marriage is about patience and commitment. Now, I've seen it in Destiny, the way she was willing to stand by you when you were with Dani and when she thought you killed Eddie Ford. But, if you're willing to give up on her without a fight, you 're not ready."

Matthew sighed; he knew his dad was right. But what if she was already with Jack? "Dad, I never thought Destiny would leave me. She's always been by my side. Now, she wants to be with Jack. What if it's too late for us?"

"Son, you're a Buchanan, it's never too late. Besides, your mother may kill you if she has to spend grandparents' nights with Todd Manning." Bo patted his son's leg before he stood to leave the room.

"Hey Dad," Matthew called out. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Son."

Matthew pulled out his phone and looked at a photo of him and Destiny after prom. Though they'd each gone with different dates, they'd wound up at the Buenos Dias together. As they waited for their parents, a nice lady assumed they were together and offered to take their picture. He'd made it the screensaver on his phone about a year before…while she was still dating Darren. He looked at her face. It was clear she adored him even then and he'd taken her affection for granted.

He dialed her number. She didn't answer. He suspected that she was still furious at him for the things he said. Somehow, he would make it up to her. He would let her know that he was as committed to her as she'd been to him. He knew Jack wouldn't make it easy, but Matthew also knew there was no way he was going to give up on his girl.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi all, I'm sorry if this is too long. I wanted to give Jack and Destiny a little bit of a relationship before things got interesting. Both Matthew and Jack are in this one. Hope you enjoy._

**The Tempest – Chapter 12**

Jack held Destiny's hand as he walked into the front door of LaBoule. He turned and smiled at her just before he opened the door. She cringed a little.

"What's that frowny-face for?"

"Your eye." Destiny moved a little closer to him. She reached to touch it. "I can't believe it looks so bad."

"Thanks Snooks." Jack began to laugh. "Good thing you're hot enough for the both of us."

"Right. My pregnant belly and I are real hot."

"There's just a little more of you to love until Beyonce arrives."

"Beyonce?"

"What else are you going to call Destiny's child?"

"Ha ha." Destiny made a pouty face. Jack leaned in as if he were about to kiss her. She then got a close-up of the fleshy, purple bruising beneath his eye. "Seriously Jack, I feel awful."

He used the opportunity to pull her closer to him. "You feel pretty good to me."

Jack leaned in and began to kiss Destiny. He ran his fingers through her hair in the process. Destiny began to smile in the midst of the kisses. Soon, she started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" He gave her a quick peck on the mouth because he couldn't seem to stop himself from touching her.

"I don't know. I can't believe I'm making out with my best friend's little brother. I totally just remembered the first time I heard you call Dani snot sucker."

"You don't know what that girl does in the privacy of her own home." They both laughed until Jack spoke again. "You do realize that in a week, we'll be the same age."

"Yes. For 11 days." She smirked. For the first time in weeks, Destiny felt like she didn't have a care in the world. "What do you want for your birthday?

"I already have it." Jack leaned down and kissed her again.

"Oh my gosh, you guys are so adorable!" Dani practically screamed. Her voice startled them, causing them both to jump. Destiny's cheeks suddenly felt like they were on fire from embarrassment.

Dani pulled Destiny into the kitchen where she drilled Destiny for details such as whether she was Jack's girlfriend. Destiny reminded her that she and Matthew had only been apart for a week and then she told her that she and Jack they were just hanging out. Dani predicted that it was only a matter of time before they were official.

Things got a little tense when Starr entered the kitchen and asked to speak with Destiny alone. She told Destiny how much she really liked her, but she expressed concern about Destiny's involvement with Jack. Starr reminded her that she was going to be a mother soon. Then she reminded her that Jack was young. Finally, Starr asked if Destiny had any unresolved issues with Matthew. Before she could answer, Jack stormed into the kitchen and told Starr to butt out.

Jack then took Destiny by the hand and led her to their pond. When they arrived, Destiny gasped. Jack had filled the pond with at least 20 floating water lights. It was one of the most beautiful sites she'd ever seen. By the side of the pond was a blanket where they sat and watched the water and the lights. Jack talked about how hockey practices began soon and how he hoped to be made the starting center of the team. He asked Destiny what she wanted more than anything.

"I want to have a healthy baby and to be loved."

"You might be closer than you think." Jack kissed her.

After their kiss, Destiny rested her head against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso. Destiny was struck by how peaceful things were there. It seemed like the first time in months that she hadn't been in the middle of a crisis. This evening was like a rest at the end of a long journey. For a moment, her mind flashed to Matthew. She wondered what he was doing and if he was okay. Then she pushed him out of her mind.

Now, four days later, while she and Jack were at dinner at the country club, Destiny was zoning out a little as she listened to Jack talk incessantly about hockey. Hockey had never been Destiny's favorite sport. Hearing Jack talk about it for the last hour hadn't helped matters. She couldn't blame him for being excited after being named the starting center…or whatever. He lost her in conversation somewhere between checking and hat tricks.

Truthfully, Jack's hockey fixation wasn't the problem; she was the problem. More specifically, it was her inability to take Shaun's advice about taking things slow with both of them. Though, Matthew had been more civil when she was alone, he'd been visibly angry every time he saw she and Jack together at school. She didn't want to fight, or argue. She just wanted to be happy. In her heart, she knew she should have cleared the air with Matthew before hanging out so openly with Jack. Though she generally enjoyed Jack's company, the tension between she and Matthew was stressing her out.

"Snooks, is everything okay?" Jack watched as Destiny picked at her food.

"I'm fine." She sighed

Immediately, Jack realized what would make her feel better. They needed to get back to their turf, to a place that was just about them. He needed to take her back to his house to the little pond near the rear of the estate. Jack looked into her eyes. "Are you sure you're okay? Because honestly I'm a little bored. Let's get out here and go have some fun."

Destiny smiled. Maybe Jack was right. They had always been able to have fun when it was just the two of them being themselves. She watched as Jack paid the bill and they headed to La Boule. Neither was expecting what they saw when they entered into Jack's Aunt Dorian's house.

Destiny was the first to speak. "Matthew?"

Matthew loved the look of sheer surprise on Destiny's face and the utter horror on Jack's. He couldn't help it; he smirked. The night before he and David had a talk. David suggested he take a different approach. He thought Matthew might fare better with a friendly, in your face approach. And this was step one.

"Buchanan, what are you doing in my house?"

"I'm visiting my friend, Starr and my big brother," Matthew said, with attitude. He continued, "And because the house belongs to my brother's wife, I can visit whenever I feel like it."

Jack moved closer to Matthew until the two stood toe to toe. "I feel bad for you. You lost Destiny." Jack taunted. "I know that must suck, but you have to get over it. She doesn't want you. She's with me now. We're together-"

"Jack…" Destiny cautioned.

"If you are so together then why are you freaking out about me just being here? Are you afraid Destiny is going to remember who you are and come back to me?"

He was afraid of exactly that. Jack suspected that Destiny had been thinking of Matthew throughout their entire dinner. This was not going to help. He needed Matthew gone. "You have 30 seconds to get out here, Matthew."

"I'm not going anywhere, so I guess that means you have 29 seconds to try to make me." Matthew saw the fear in this kid's eyes. He should be afraid. This boy had stolen his girlfriend when he was away. Well, things were about to change, Matthew was a Buchanan and people didn't just steal from Buchanans. They especially didn't get to steal the women they loved.

Jack took a step closer to Matthew. Then he spoke in a soft voice. "If that's the way you want it."

Matthew didn't move. He didn't even blink. He simply said, "Bring it."

"Matthew, Jack," Destiny called out. "Please stop…Please."

Neither Jack nor Matthew responded to her pleas. Instead, they continued to stand toe-to-toe, each waiting for the other to back down.

David and Starr were in the kitchen when they heard the shouting in the foyer and recognized Jack and Matthew's voices. When they arrived in the room, David saw Matthew and Jack looking as though they were about to fight, which obviously upset Destiny.

Starr pushed the two apart. "Matthew, Jack, what's going on here? You're upsetting Destiny."

"And little David." David put his arm around Destiny and ushered her toward the kitchen. He glared at Jack. "Come on Destiny…why don't you come have an ice cream sundae with your real BFF."

Starr glared at the two boys. "What are you guys thinking?"

Matthew spoke first. "I'm not going to let your brother steal my girlfriend."

Jack laughed, "Well the way she was kissing me yesterday makes me think she's not your girlfriend anymore."

Matthew's first instinct was to hit the punk, but as he balled up his fist, he realized he could hit him with something more powerful: the truth. Matthew chuckled, "Guess what Jack, she's having my baby. That means I'll always be in her life. In the delivery room, PTA meetings, our baby's first steps and first words. I'll always be his dad and you'll be what, Jack? His mom's boyfriend? Destiny will figure out who you really are before my kid can say your name and then you'll be gone."

"Destiny's going to figure out who I am? Who is that? Someone with more money and more friends than you?" Jack asked with attitude.

"No, you're a fake…just like Walker."

For a second, Matthew felt bad as he watched Jack's face deflate. When he heard Destiny call his name, he felt worse. He hadn't heard her walk in the room.

"Matthew, I think you should go."

In Destiny's eyes, he saw an emotion he'd never seen directed at him: disappointment. She could barely look at him. Jack looked back at the two of them and then walked out of the door. Worst of all, Destiny looked as though she wanted to go after him. Thankfully, Starr volunteered. When the two of them were alone, Destiny was the first to speak.

"Matthew, how could you? That was cruel."

Matthew was angry, in part because he thought about what Jack said about he and Destiny kissing the day before. "You're just going to walk in and start defending him? You don't even know what he said to me before you walked in."

There was a fire in her eyes that he'd seen before when she'd been protecting someone innocent like Shane. Jack was not innocent. "I know he's been missing his dad and how hard everything has been on him."

"How hard everything has been on him? Des, I was in a coma and then in rehab for months. Everything I did was to fight my way back to you and our baby. Jack gets you and I'm supposed to be worried about him?"

Something about hearing Matthew say she was with Jack unnerved her. Yes, she and Jack had kissed a few times, but there were no agreements made, no vows exchanged. "Matthew, I'm not with Jack. I'm just trying to figure things out."

Matthew dropped his head. "That's the part that hurts so much. I never thought you would be confused about us."

"I'm so sorry." Though she tried to stop herself, she began to cry.

Matthew watched as the tears slid down Destiny's cheeks. He could practically touch her pain. Then he did what seemed as natural to him as breathing: he pulled her into his arms and comforted her. He began to stroke her hair. Matthew wondered if the tears were only about her confusion or whether it was a build up of all that she'd handled alone over the last few months. "Des," he whispered into her hair. "It's okay. Tell me what you need."

Destiny did her best to stop crying. She looked up at him and saw the Matthew she knew…the one who always held her hand through all of the bad stuff. "I need you to be my friend. I know it's unfair of me to ask you, but…"

"It's what you did when I was blinded by Dani. I guess I can do that." He tapped a finger against his lip.

"Can you try to get along with Jack, too?"

"I can try." He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to become his BFF like you did with Dani."

Destiny hugged him again, which suddenly made his promises feel worthwhile. They were interrupted by Jack's voice.

"Destiny?" Jack was outraged that Destiny knew he was hurt and yet, she was hugging the person who hurt him. "I can't believe this. You're actually hugging him?"

Matthew thought about his promises to Destiny. He would do what she asked…at least while she was looking. He extended a hand, which Jack accepted reluctantly. "Calm down, Jack. Destiny just convinced me that we needed to get along. I'll do that…for her, but if you hurt her, you'll be sorry." Matthew then lowered his voice so low that only Jack could here. "And don't get comfortable because I'm going to get her back."

"Yeah, good luck with that."

Jack and Matthew exchanged fake smiles. Matthew then moved back in Destiny's direction. He touched a finger to her nose. "I'm not giving up on you." Then he touched her stomach and added, "Or him."

"Her." Destiny smiled. Then she watched Matthew walk out of the room. She almost forgot Jack was in the room, until he called her name again.

"Destiny?" Jack's voice brought her back to reality. She walked over to him.

"Jack, I'm sorry about what Matthew said about Walker. He promised me he wouldn't do it again."

"Come on Snooks, you're not really falling for Matthew's act are you? He's only being nice because he wants you back."

Destiny sighed loudly. "Jack, I don't want to fight with you." She looked at her watch. "I think I should go."

He took her hand. "Are we still celebrating our birthdays together on Saturday?"

Destiny nodded. She felt guilty that his feelings were hurt and she couldn't leave Matthew long enough to check on him. Besides, once upon a time, both she and Jack had been looking forward to it. She couldn't say, "no" now. "Wouldn't miss it."

"Good." He plastered on a smile. "I'll drive you home."

Jack led her by the hand to his truck. From Destiny's silence, he knew she was thinking about Matthew. At that moment, he vowed to step up his game. Matthew may have won the first battle, but he planned to win the war.


	13. Chapter 13

_Hi all, I'm going to do my best to give Destiny the happy ending she doesn't seem to be getting on the show. I may need a week to finish the story because I think I need about three more chapters. I hope you'll keep reading._

**The Tempest – Chapter 13**

October 8, 2011. It was a day Destiny would not forget. Not because it was the Saturday they were celebrating Jack's birthday, but because of the news she received from Shaun the minute after she awoke. The knock on her bedroom door startled her. Shaun typically let her sleep in on Saturdays.

"Little D, I think there is something you should see on television." At the sound of his voice Destiny pulled the covers over her head. "Shaun, I'm so tired. The baby kept me awake all night."

"Des, you know I wouldn't wake you if it weren't important."

He wouldn't. Shaun was the best big brother in the whole world. Destiny grabbed her robe and dragged herself to the sofa where Shaun was intently watching the all news cable station. A picture of Walker appeared on the right corner of the screen; in the center was a live shot of Dani's house. Along the bottom of the screen the breaking news section read, "Millionaire Imposter Found dead."

"I don't understand." Destiny's heart sank immediately as she thought of the pain Dani and Jack must be feeling. She spoke, though her voice was just above a whisper, "Jack." She turned to Shaun. "I have to get to him." She felt a panicky feeling as though she couldn't breathe.

"Calm down, Little D. Go get dressed and I'll call Tea to find out where everyone is."

Destiny wanted to move but she was glued to the television. The reporter told a tale of how a body was found, burned beyond recognition, about 50 miles outside of Llanview. Witnesses reported seeing Walker nearby. Apparently, the corner just reported that the dental records matched Walker's.

Shaun learned that Jack was at Tea's. They arrived at Tea's house twenty minutes later. Both Dani and Tea were barely keeping it together; still, it seemed talking about Walker seemed to help them. Tea and Shaun took turns telling stories about Walker. Destiny finally asked about Jack and learned that he had been at Tea's house when the news about Walker broke. He hadn't come out of his room in nearly an hour.

Destiny headed to his room. She knocked on the door. "Jack?"

There was no answer. She tried the doorknob and was surprised to find it was unlocked. She looked around his room and saw no traces of Jack. She'd never been inside and she found herself examining the room for clues as to what made Jack into who he was. Much like Matthew's room it was filled with various sports trophies; however, it held significantly more photographs. Most of the photographs were of Jack and various family members. There was one of he and Walker that was lying on the bed. She thought it was odd since

Just as she was about to close the door, she heard what sounded like a whimper. It sounded as though it was coming from somewhere near the closet. She followed the sounds to the inside corner of the gigantic walk-in closet. When she looked down near her feet, she saw Jack. His head was pressed to his knees and he was sobbing.

"Jack?" She moved toward him, only to be stopped when he put his hand out.

"I'm okay. Just go." He tried to stop sobbing, but he couldn't. He didn't want Destiny to see him like that. Still, he couldn't even pretend that he was okay.

Destiny recognized his pain. She'd felt it herself when she thought Matthew might be gone and even then she had a sliver of hope. Jack had nothing. She gingerly lowered herself to the floor next to Jack. "Jack, you don't have to do this alone."

"I told you, I'm fine."

"You're not." Destiny pulled at Jack's arm until finally he allowed himself into her embrace. His tears broke her heart. He cried so hard that when he finally stopped, he was exhausted. Jack rested his head on Destiny's legs while she combed her fingers through his hair.

"I saw him…after he left town."

"Walker?" Destiny was surprised he hadn't mentioned it.

"Yeah. He was at our spot…down by the lake. He told me he loved me."

"Of course, he did." She brushed his hair back and kissed his forehead.

"I kept hoping he might show up for my birthday…but not like this." He whimpered before falling silent a minute or so later. He sat up and looked Destiny squarely in the eye. "I did this to him."

Destiny stared at Jack as she tried to figure out what he could possibly mean. "How could you possibly have hurt Walker?"

Jack looked at the shock on Destiny's face. Did she really not see him for who he was? "Destiny, it's divine payback for what happened with Gigi Morasco. I made Shane go through this and now it's my turn."

Destiny touched her stomach as she remembered the anguish Matthew was going through when he thought he killed Eddie Ford. It tore him to pieces.

"Jack," she brought her hand to his cheek, "you're responsible for what you're responsible for. I know you weren't trying to kill Ms. Morasco, but with Shane's asthma it could have been him just easily. You have to live with that but that's all you have to live with. You are not responsible for Walker or his decisions. This is not your fault." She stared into his eyes. She wished Jack would let other people know him the way she did. "Got it?"

He nodded slowly. "Why are you my friend?"

Destiny smiled at the oddness of the question until she realized he was serious. "Who else would call me Snooks?"

"I'm serious. Everyone else thinks I'm trouble."

"I know you're not. You could probably use a little impulse control." She touched the slightly purplish mark that still remained. "But who among us couldn't? If I had more, I wouldn't have " She pointed to her belly.

Despite himself, Jack began to smile. "Can you stay here with me for a while?"

"Yep." She rested her head on his shoulder.

The next two days were a blur. Destiny went to her mother's house to help make food for Tea and Dani. Then on Monday, Jack's birthday, she went to school where she spoke with Matthew. He asked how Jack was, which she knew he did for her sake. She appreciated it enough to invite him to her next ultrasound. Then she went to LaBoule.

When she arrived, Jack was a little better. When she entered the room, he managed a smile.

"Happy Birthday." She said softly, knowing that it had to be anything but a joyous occasion. She handed him the gift that she'd picked out with Shaun's help. As a former bodyguard, Shaun had connections with everyone. When he learned about Walker, he helped her get an autographed Claude Giroux jersey. Though Destiny hadn't heard of the man outside of hearing Jack gush about him, he was apparently a big deal hockey player for the Philadelphia Flyers.

A smile appeared on his face for the first time in two days. "Snooks, oh my gosh. You're awesome. " He held the jersey against himself and then pulled her into a hug. While he held her close, he whispered, "I love you."

Destiny remained silent. He'd caught her by surprise. The truth was she still wasn't exactly sure of what she felt. She didn't want to upset him with all he was going through, so, she simply hugged him a little more tightly. He took her by the hand and led her down to "their place" by the pond.

"I want you know how much having you here means to me."

"Of course I'd be here. We're friends."

Jack pushed her hair over her shoulder and then touched her cheek. "I was hoping we could be more than friends. I meant what I said, Snooks. I love you."

Destiny silently counted her own breaths to keep herself calm. Yes, she had feelings for Jack and those feelings may possibly have been love; the problem was he was not the only one who occupied her heart.

Her mind flashed back to Starr, who questioned the rationale behind Destiny getting involved with Jack at all. He was young…too young to be tied down with an instant family.

"Snooks? Did you hear me?"

"Yes and I think you're just emotional right now. "

"I'm not being emotional. I love you and it's okay if you can't say it back, yet." He looked down at his feet.

"I know you just got out of your thing with Matthew…and he is Beyonce's father."

She laughed that he'd already nicknamed her baby. "You know Matthew thinks it's a boy."

Jack snickered, "He probably thinks the two of you belong together, too."

Destiny raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Who do you think I belong with?"

"Well," he sighed, "I was going to wait until the party that we are obviously not going to have tonight, but I was hoping we could make it official." He pushed her hair behind her shoulder. "I was hoping you would be my girlfriend."

Before she could answer, Dani walked up. Dani paused at the sight of the two in the closet, but she decided not to push the issue. "Hey guys. Aunt Vicki and Todd just stopped by. Jack, they're asking for you."

"Can't you just tell them I'm with Destiny?" Jack had no desire to do battle with Todd. "Destiny and I are kind of in the middle of something."

Dani recalled that she and Jack had a conversation a few nights before about whether Destiny was ready to move on from Matthew. He mentioned that he might be making things official. "I can tell them you'll be down in a couple of minutes."

"No, we're good." Destiny said before Jack could speak. "Jack, help me up so we can go see your family."

They walked downstairs, still holding hands from when Jack helped Destiny up from the closet floor. Jack glared at Todd hating that he was in front of him instead of Walker. His angry expression eased when his Aunt Viki hugged him.

"Jack, honey, I'm so sorry. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing okay." He looked back at Destiny. "It helps having Destiny here."

She patted Destiny's face. "Then Destiny, darling, thank you."

Destiny smiled. "You don't have to thank me, Mrs. Banks. I'm Jack's girlfriend, where else would I be?" She moved to Jack and slipped her hand in his.

Jack felt his heart skip a little when he heard the words. They were a gift to him on the worst day of his life. It was a gift he would not accept lightly.

Wednesday came and along with it came Destiny's ultrasound appointment. Although Jack returned to school the same day, he had to go to hockey practice for which Destiny was grateful. Matthew volunteered to take Destiny to her appointment. While they were in the car, Destiny toyed with the idea of telling Matthew about the latest developments with Jack. She needed to. Walker's funeral was the next day. Jack's friends would be there and the news would spread like wildfire through school the next day.

Matthew spoke before she could. "So, while we're together what do you think about us thinking up names for our son?"

"Or daughter…" Destiny scoffed. "How can you be so sure we're having a boy?"

"I just am. Kind of like I know we're going to end up together, eventually. What do you think about Evan? You know, in honor of your family. It might help your mom want to kill me a little less."

"Since we have awesome big brothers, how about Shaun-David?"

"I like it."

"What about for a girl?" Destiny asked. In her heart, she still hoped their little one was a girl.

"There's no need, it's a boy."

"I think she's a girl and so does…" she caught herself before she mentioned Jack's name.

"Jack." Matthew finished her sentence for her. "I'm sorry Des, I can't stand the guy. And I hate being in limbo with you not being with me and you not really being with Jack either." Right now, all Matthew wanted was for him and Destiny to be together and to start planning for the arrival of their baby.

Destiny took a deep breath knowing that her next words could cause a major argument. "Matthew, things have changed…a little. Jack asked me to be his girlfriend."

"What?" Matthew pulled the car to the side of the road. "So, that's it? You're choosing Jack over me and our family?" Matthew stared at her and waited for her to explain how she could do something like this.

"No." Destiny sighed deeply. "Our baby comes first to me. Just because you and I aren't together doesn't mean we can't raise this baby together."

Matthew didn't say a word. He was just too angry. How could Destiny put their family at risk? He continued to drive to Destiny's appointment in silence. The receptionist asked them to have a seat.

Matthew tried to understand where Destiny was coming from. Even though he hated it, Des had been honest about having feelings for Jack. He also knew that he'd wasted nearly a year when they could have been together due to his infatuation with Dani. If he lost Destiny now, it would be his own fault. What he needed to know was whether he still had a chance.

"Des, you love Jack?" He asked as they sat in the waiting room together.

"I'm not sure." Though Matthew had once been her best friend, it felt weird to be talking to him about Jack.

"Do you think there's any hope for us…in the future?"

Once more before she could answer, she was interrupted. This time it was Vivian's nurse who did the interrupting by telling them it was time for Destiny's appointment. Destiny changed into the hospital gown and the nurse went and got Matthew. Vivian entered and greeted Matthew warmly.

"Matthew, are you ready to meet your baby?"

He nodded excitedly. He'd felt the baby kick, but he wanted to hear the heartbeat. And soon he got his wish. The heartbeat was strong and healthy. And on the 3-D screen he could practically see a snapshot of the baby's face. Vivian asked whether they wanted to know the sex of the baby. They both said, "yes."

"Matthew, Destiny, in about 3 and a half months, you're going to have a health baby girl."


	14. Chapter 14

_Hi all, this one is both pro-Matt/Des and pro-Jack/Des. After that beautiful finale, I had to make this particular chapter mostly Matt/Des. What I do know is that whether or not Matthew ends up with Destiny that boy needs some serious competition and I don't think he had it with Darren. He needs to have to work for our girl because she's been so dedicated to him._

_Anyhow, I know how I envision Destiny's endgame, I'm just not sure which boy she ends up with. If you guys are cool, I'm toying with the idea of alternate endings (one for each fanbase), probably after next chapter. Thanks for the replies and let me know what you think about alternate endings._

**The Tempest – Chapter 14**

Matthew stared at the ultrasound photograph of his daughter while he waited outside of Vivian's office for Destiny to finish changing back into her clothes. From the 3-D image, he could tell the baby was going to be a beautiful girl; she was probably his payback for getting Destiny pregnant at 17. He would make sure that no boys would take advantage of his daughter.

As he stared at the photograph, it reminded him that he was really going to be a dad. For the first time, he admitted to himself that he was terrified about what all of this meant. A parent could do everything right for their child, only to have things go terribly wrong in a matter of minutes. He thought of how his life changed by one wrong encounter with Eddie Ford. For months, he thought he killed a man, which could have sent him to prison. Then, he walked around bound in guilt until one day, he told the truth to both his parents and Destiny, his best friend. A lump rose in his throat as he thought of how Destiny responded with only love and understanding. She never gave up on him and so, it was his responsibility to not give up on her.

Matthew sighed and then leaned back in his chair; still, he kept his eyes fixed on the picture. Then a small smile crept to the corner of his mouth. He smiled because he realized that deep down he'd suspected for a long time that when this day came, he would be sharing it with Destiny. From the day they met, he'd shared everything with her…well, almost everything. He'd failed to tell her a year ago, when he first began to realize it, that he wanted her as more than his friend. And now, they were about to be parents.

"Hey," Destiny smiled at the way Matthew was looking at the picture of their baby. Relief swept over her. There had been so many times during her pregnancy that she felt alone. At times, Jack and Dani made it better, but now Matthew was here and things suddenly felt doable. She sat down beside him. Peeking over his shoulder, she took in the sight of their baby. She was right; the baby was a girl.

"Hey."

Destiny leaned her head on his shoulder like she did the day she and Darren broke up. Matthew enjoyed feeling her so close.

She looked at the ultrasound photo in Matthew's hand. The baby had her right hand balled into a fist as she sucked her right thumb. She pointed to the baby's left hand; she had her fingers spread out. "She's got your hands. Look at her long fingers. Maybe she'll play keyboards, too."

"Maybe." Matthew said softly. "This is pretty scary. I mean in a few months she's going to depend on us for everything. "

"It is scary," she agreed. Then she started to giggle. "It's a little less scary now that we know she's a girl."

"Maybe for you; it's scares me even more. Now, I have to worry about every guy that is going to try to take advantage of her. I mean, look at her, she's beautiful."

They both began to laugh before settling once more into a comfortable silence. With their fingers they traced the shape of the baby's head and nose. Both stopped and smiled as they reached her mouth and thumb. Then Destiny's phone rang. As she silenced the ringer, Matthew noticed that Jack was the caller. She placed the phone back in her pocket and continued to stare at the photo with Matthew.

"I've missed this." Matthew said, without looking away from the photo. "I've missed you." He turned to catch her eyes with his own. Matthew moved closer to Destiny. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. But when his mouth arrived within a couple of inches hers, she moved back.

"Matthew, I'm with Jack."

Matthew nodded slowly. "Then I guess I'll just have to wait."

"Wait? Why would you do that? We just got together and honestly, he treats me like a princess. So, I can't make you any promises."

"You don't have to make me any promises." Matthew took her petite hand into his much larger one. I'll fight for you, Des. After all, it's my turn. You fought for me against Justin and Becca, and for me to walk, and then for me to stay alive. Saving you from Jack Manning is the least I can do." He winked at her before continuing on. "So, if that means I have to be your friend until you figure out Jack is the wrong guy, then I'll do it."

Once more Destiny simply rested her head on his shoulder. Her stomach was in knots.

That evening Destiny had Matthew drop her at Dani's house. To her surprise, Jack was waiting. He greeted her with a kiss.

"Well Snooks, is the bambino a boy or a girl?"

"Yeah Des, don't keep us in suspense." Dani added.

"It's a girl." Destiny smiled.

Jack pumped his fist. "Yeah!" Then he took Destiny's hand. "Snooks, I'm going to be there for her just like my Dad…Walker …was for me. She and Hope can play together. In fact, you can probably share Starr's nanny. It's going to be awesome."

Dani was similarly excited. She started talking about ballet lessons and clothes.

Destiny was touched by Jack's excitement, though she began to wonder if he was using she and the baby as a substitute for Walker being gone. Still, Jack was happier than she had seen him in days and that made her happy. She pulled him tightly into a hug.

Over the next week, Matthew stayed true to his word. He called her every evening to talk about her day. He would greet she and Jack with a quick hello when he saw them together at school and he regularly texted her with possible baby names. To Destiny, coupledom with Jack and friendship with Matt felt weird, even if it did allow her to remain close to both boys.

Then the night before her birthday, Destiny experienced her strangest evening ever when she went to Jack's hockey game to cheer him on. Matthew showed up at Jack's hockey game. He joined her in the second row where she always sat. When he saw her obvious disinterest in hockey as a sport, he actually began explaining parts of the game to her. She knew Matthew had to be uncomfortable, but she appreciated him making an effort.

Matthew smiled at Destiny as she took a bite of her slice of pizza. "So, do you have any more questions about hockey?"

"Nope." Destiny smiled at him.

Matthew smiled back at her. Going to the game was a stroke of genius. For the next couple of hours he had Destiny to himself, completely uninterrupted. The icing on the cake was that Jack had been so distracted seeing him with Destiny that he'd been completely awful. The only thing he hadn't expected was Destiny becoming quiet. He had to think of something to get her to talk. "So, while we're together what do you think about us thinking up more names for our daughter? I was thinking of Rebecca."

He laughed as she made a face and opened her mouth to protest. Then he grabbed a fry from his cup of fries and popped it in her mouth. He then tried not to laugh as Jack's face hit glass thanks to a shove by an opposing player. His happiness ended when he saw Destiny cringe at the hit. "Des, hard hits are a part of the game."

"I know. It doesn't mean I have to like it." She peeked over the wall and released a sigh as she saw Jack get up and skate to the other side of the ice rink. She then turned her attention back to Matthew. "Tell me you were kidding about Rebecca. What are we going to call her for short, Becca?"

"I was teasing. But you have to admit Justin and Becca are kind of responsible for bringing us together."

"I'd rather not give them any credit."

His attempt at a joke had fallen flat, so he thought he should find a way to salvage the conversation. "Okay. Seriously, I was thinking we should name her something that starts with a D. You know, kind of in honor of you and David and Dorian. You know something like Dahlia or Daria."

"I like those and I like Dylan." Destiny tapped her finger against her lip. "What about her last should we hyphenate it? You know, like Evans-Buchanan?"

"If you really want, the baby is a Buchanan and you're going to be one too someday."

Destiny felt herself blush. "Given that I'm currently with someone else, what makes you so sure?"

Matt smiled at her. "Well, you asked me to marry you almost three years ago when I had to sue my parents. I guess I'm going to have to take you up on it sometime."

"Matthew Buchanan, I did not propose to you." They began to laugh until Destiny saw Jack crash face first into the glass again.

Once more, Matthew watched her frown at the sight of Jack in pain. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew she cared about him. Still, the more time they spent together, the more he was certain that Destiny loved him, too. He would just have to bide his time and wait for Jack to mess up.

After the game, Destiny waited for Jack outside of the locker room. He could barely look at her. He kept walking as if she wasn't there.

"Jack, what's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just had a pretty sucky game because I had to watch my girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend all over each other."

Destiny was shocked. "You are totally overreacting. We were not all over each other. He was actually explaining the game to me so I could support you better."

"Him feeding you food is you supporting me better?"

"Why am I even trying to explain myself? I'm here, waiting for you when all I really want to do is go home and sleep because my baby…Matthew's baby is kicking up a storm at night and I can't sleep. Do you know how much easier it would be just to be with Matthew? Instead, I spent most of the night telling him how great you are to me. You knew he was going to be a part of my life when we got together, if you can't deal then maybe I should just be on my own." Destiny shook her head in disgust. Shaun was right. She should have waited before she got involved with Jack or Matthew. Now she began to walk away.

"Snooks! Wait…" He jogged to catch up with her. "Look, I don't want to fight with you. I just don't want to lose you. I don't think I could handle losing you and Walker right now."

"Jack, like I said, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere…unless you push me away."

"I'm sorry." He kissed her once and then again and again. This went on until he heard one of his teammates yell, "get a room," as he walked past.

"Are we still on for your birthday tomorrow?" They held hands as they walked to his car.

"I'm looking forward to it."

"I'm taking you to an awesome restaurant for dinner. You're going to love it."

As Jack pulled up to her house, she leaned in and kissed him. "Stop worrying, okay? I'm with you."

Five minutes after she got home, her phone rang. It was Matthew. He wanted to see her tomorrow for lunch at the Palace, just the two of them. She declined. She could tell it made Matthew unhappy, but he had promised to be her friend. That meant he needed to respect her relationship with Jack, just as she had done when he was with Dani. She sunk into the sofa.

"Lil' D, what's wrong. You look like you just lost your best friend." Her brother Shaun plopped down on the sofa next to her.

"At this point, I'm going to lose one of them. This situation sucks so bad. I should have listened to you when you said to take things slowly."

"The situation between you and Jack and Matthew?" Shaun asked with a raise of an eyebrow.

She nodded. "I don't want to hurt either one of them, but Matthew keeps telling me that he wants to be with me even though he knows I'm with Jack. Jack totally got upset with me for hanging out with Matthew at the game. Matthew is the father of this baby; I can't very well just cut him out of my life."

"And Jack?" Shaun asked.

"Jack is great to me. I don't want to give him up either. Who do you think I should be with?"

Shan laughed out loud. "Shane Morasco."

"Very funny."

"Let's see then, do I think you should be with the guy that terrorized Shane or the one who knocked my sister up and thought he killed someone? That's a tough call. With a nice guy like me for a brother, what is it with you and the bad boys?"

"They're not bad. They both just get themselves into bad situations."

Shaun thought of a thousand things he could say in response, but instead, he remembered his vow of staying out of it that he'd made when lunching with Vivian earlier that day. "Lil D, you have to follow your heart."

"I'm trying." Destiny paused momentarily. "Do you think it's possible to be in love with two people at the same time?"

"It is. I've been there myself. But at some point you are going to have a moment of clarity that will make your decision seem completely obvious. Just know that I'm going to be by your side no matter what happens."

Destiny snuggled into Shaun's side. "Do you know how lucky I am to be your sister?"

"Yep. And nothing is ever going to change that."


	15. Chapter 15

_Hi all. So sorry this took so long. This is the last chapter before the two endings. Destiny makes a decision. I hope you enjoy. I hope to have the endings up more quickly. -K_

**The Tempest – Chapter 15**

It was Destiny's eighteenth birthday and the Friday before Homecoming. A year ago, she would have never guessed that her life would have taken the twists and turns that led her to this day. The baby kicked, reminding her of one of those changes. If anyone had asked her a year ago, what she would have been doing now, she would have guessed she would be happily applying to colleges in some warm state, planning to go to Homecoming and possibly dating Matthew. Instead, she was applying to Pennsylvania colleges, pregnant by Matthew and dating Jack Manning.

Life over the last several months had seemed so out of control. She decided to focus on the good things. Matthew was healthy, which she learned was something she could never take for granted. She had reconciled with her parents and they had talked about her moving back home. And Jack had been an unexpected and pleasant surprise.

"Happy Birthday Little D." Shaun kissed her cheek.

"Thanks Shaun!"

"You know if you want to take it easy and stay home, feel free."

"Why would I stay home?" She sat next to Shaun on the sofa.

He patted her hand. "I know the kids have been giving you a hard time…and it's your birthday. So, if you want a day off."

Destiny chuckled. "Actually Shaun, no one has bothered me since Jack and I started dating. He's popular."

She said the word popular with sarcasm. Destiny never understood Matthew's attraction to popularity. She understood it even less now that she spent time with Jack's friends. To say they were superficial was an understatement. Still, she couldn't have asked for a better boyfriend.

In her mind, she couldn't help contrast Jack with Matthew. She had been inexplicably drawn to Matthew from the moment she first saw him. And it seemed the feeling was mutual…at first, like when he was about to kiss her in the church before his mother's wedding to his Uncle Clint. But then, he met Dani and played the friend card on her. And when Dani broke up with him, he lost it. They were just finding their way back to each other when he told her what happened with Eddie Ford. And then they slept together. It was the worst thing they could have done. They'd acted purely on the emotion of the moment and he'd been hurt before they could define what they meant to each other. And before they could figure it out, she was drawn to Jack.

Jack was the complete opposite of Matthew. Where Matthew was reserved with everything from his physical affection to his emotions, Jack was freely expressive. He kissed her when they were alone, when they were with her friends and his, when they said, hello and when they said goodbye. Though Jack was popular and secure in his social standing, he sometimes seemed uncomfortable in his own skin. Matthew, on the other hand would go toe to toe with his parents…without backing down. And though she was fairly certain that she loved them both Matthew was completely confident that she loved him, while Jack needed reassurance that she even cared.

"You don't like that Jack is popular?"

"Not particularly. It just means I have to share his time with more people and hang out with people who remind me of the same cretins who harassed me when I was a freshman."

"He's young."

"I know. That's part of the what I'm worried about." Destiny leaned her head back against the sofa. "Me and the baby are a package deal now and Jack just turned 17. He's got another year and a half left in high school. Dating me is asking him to take on a lot."

"I don't hear Jack complaining. In fact, I think I've seen that boy smile more in the last month than I have in the last year. How much does this have to do with Matthew?"

"I don't know," Destiny said, quietly. "He is the first boy I ever loved and he tells me we're supposed to be together." She dropped her head before she added, "I guess I have some trouble trusting that Matthew means what he says when it comes to us." She eased herself off of the sofa. "Matthew is a non-issue for now. He's Beyonce's-"

Shaun raised an eyebrow. "Beyonce?"

"Yes, it's what Jack calls the baby. I think it's kind of cute."

"Yeah, adorable." Shaun deadpanned.

"Anyway, Matthew is the baby's father and my ex-boyfriend."

"And that's all?"

"For now, it has to be."

Before school that morning, Jack nervously looked in the foyer mirror as he prepared for Destiny's birthday. Although over the last several months they had grown closer, he knew part of her heart belonged to Matthew. It was an unusually warm October, so he didn't plan on wearing a jacket. Instead, he wore a button down grey cardigan sweater, so that he could offer it to Destiny if she got cold later that evening. He paired the sweater with a collared white shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

"You look nice." His sister, Starr, fixed his fixed his collar.

"It's Destiny's birthday." He picked up the blue Tiffany box with the white ribbon tied neatly in a bow. Dani helped him pick out the perfect gift for Destiny and he couldn't wait to give it to her.

"Is that from Tiffany's?"

"No, it's from the five dollar store, but I switched out the box."

"You really like Destiny, don't you?"

"Great observation, Captain Obvious." Jack eyed his sister with disgust. Instead of helping him get the girl he wanted, she was Matthew's biggest cheerleader

"What's your problem, Jack?" Starr stared at him.

"My problem is that you're standing there trying to pretend that you actually care about what I want. The truth is you really want Destiny to get back together with Matthew. Sometimes you act more like Matthew's your brother than I am."

"Jack, that's ridiculous. Look, Matthew and Destiny have history and they're about to be parents. It's going to bring them closer and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Destiny's not going to hurt me. She wouldn't do that."

"Not intentionally, no. But Matthew is that baby's father no matter how hard you try to pretend he isn't. He's going to be the one that's in the delivery room and that's only the beginning."

Jack rolled his eyes. But as much as he tried to ignore Starr, he couldn't help wonder if she was right. "As much as I'd love to sit around and listen to you be a buzz kill, I need to go wish my girlfriend happy birthday."

That morning when Destiny arrived at her locker, she was surprised to see her locker decorated with birthday decals and her name spelled out in her favorite color, purple. She smiled as she thought of all the effort that Jack had gone through…until she opened her locker and she realized Jack hadn't done it at all. Inside her locker were pictures of she and Matthew…from the prom Freshman year, from the Buenos Dias after the prom when she had gone with Daren and he had gone with Dani. More pictures from his mother's wedding to his Uncle Clint and from his mother's wedding to his dad. In the center was a digital copy of their baby's ultrasound photo."

"Happy Birthday, Des."

She turned to face the familiar voice. "Matthew, I can't believe you did all this."

"I thought you needed to remember what we mean to each other…what we've always meant to each other."

Destiny sighed, "Matthew, you told me that you could do this. You said you could be okay with us being friends."

"I am, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let you forget what we mean to each other.

I don't know how you did it." Matt stared at Destiny. "How did you watch me with Dani after you told me you loved me?"

Destiny remembered how she laid her heart on the line for Matthew on New Year's Eve 2009 and he told her he only wanted to be her friend. His rejection was the worse pain she'd felt until that point. "It was hard, but I loved you enough that I wanted to see you happy."

"You're stronger than I am, you that, right?" He touched her cheek. "It is killing me to watch you with Jack. I love you, Des. I should have told you that a long time ago. I want you to be with me. Des, you don't have to be with Jack because you're scared about us…"

"That's not why…"

"Really? Des, I know I've flaked out on you more times than you can count, but I'm here now. And I'm ready to be the man I have to be to raise this baby." He sighed, "I used part of my trust fund to buy the condo upstairs from my parents."

"You did?"

Matthew nodded. "I did. I thought it was time for me to grow up." He took her hand. "Des, I know we're young, but we can be together and raise this baby. I just need you to choose me. " Matthew took her hand in his. "I want to be your family." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his Grandma Renee's engagement ring. "I know you're not ready to wear this now, but I hope you will be one day."

Destiny's eyes grew large at the sight of the diamond engagement ring. "Matthew, that's an engagement ring. What am I supposed to say? This is coming completely out of nowhere."

"Not for me. I had a lot of time to think in the rehab center." For a moment, he considered the possibility that Destiny didn't love him any more. "But, if you tell me you don't love me, we can go back to being friends and we can forget this conversation ever happened."

Destiny eyed the engagement ring curiously. Before she could answer, Jack walked up. "Des?

Matthew folded the ring into Destiny's hand and closed her fingers over it. "Think about what I said."

Jack watched as Matthew walked away. He wondered what gift Matthew had just given Destiny and she made no move to show him. He wondered if Starr was right. He thought of a thousand ways to get rid of Matthew, some of which included tampering with his breaks or bribing another girl to be seen kissing him. But then he remembered the way Walker told him that if there was a chance that Destiny loved him, he shouldn't give up. After all, he had the advantage; she was his girlfriend. So, he held her hand and walked her to her classes. And then after hockey practice, he picked her up for dinner.

She was beautiful in a blue dress he had never seen before. And her smile was as bright as any of the stars. He took her to an intimate French restaurant on the outskirts of town. Waiters attended to their every need. When the mood was just right, Jack pulled out the little blue box. "Happy Birthday, Snooks. I know we've only been together a few weeks, but I couldn't have gotten through this without you."

"Tiffany's? Jack, you spent way too much money."

"It's only money. Besides, Todd once gave Tea $5 million dollars to marry him, so this is just a drop in the bucket."

Destiny pulled the ribbon from the box and then she removed the blue satchel. She poured its contents into her hand. It was a sterling silver necklace with a heart pendant on the end of it. His name was etched on the back of it. "Jack, it's beautiful."

He stood up and helped her slip it on her neck. When he returned to his seat, he took her hand. "Now you have my heart. I hope you can give me yours one day."

At that moment, Destiny knew that no matter what happened, Jack would always have a piece of her heart. She leaned in and kissed him. "Thank you. This means so much to me."

After the days events, Destiny should have felt even more conflicted, but somehow she just felt happy. She had the love of two guys who were great to her. When she woke up the next morning, she knew she had to put an end to the tug of war over her heart and she knew she would do it that day.


	16. Ending 1

_Hi all. I finally finished! This is the first ending. The alternate ending, which surprisingly turned out much longer is next. Thanks for reading, especially for continuing to read after OLTL ended and thanks for the replies. You guys are the best enjoy._

**ENDING 1**

Destiny woke up the morning of Homecoming with her stomach tied in knots. She knew what she had to do that day, but she hated the idea of hurting someone she loved. Now, she could admit to herself that she loved both Jack and Matthew, but she also knew that she could no longer go on with the two of them playing tug of war with her heart.

At dinner the night before, she insisted that Jack go to the football game with his friends while she rested up for the dance. Jack had been heavily recruited for the team himself, but he'd refused because Todd played football. She tried to assure him that there were bigger Mannings in football than Todd, but he wouldn't hear of it. Still, some of his buddies played and she knew he wanted to cheer them on. He offered to stay at Shaun's with her, but she insisted he go on without her.

Destiny held her dress against her. It was strapless and a beautiful shade of cobalt blue. Tonight had to be perfect…at least most of it. Part of her owed Jack for helping keep her sane during the worse time of her life and she had to let him know how much he meant to her. Still, there were things she needed to take care of before she saw Jack that evening.

Carefully, she laid her dress on her bed and grabbed her cell phone from her bedside table. In the process of grabbing the phone, she noticed Renee Buchanan's engagement ring. She ran her finger over the corners of the rectangular stone. Then she dialed the familiar phone number that she'd known by heart for years.

"Hi Matthew, it's me. Can you meet me at the Buenos Dias in an hour?" He readily agreed.

An hour later, Destiny waited nervously for Matthew at a booth where they'd sat at least one hundred times before. As soon as he entered, she noticed that he wore the same nervous look.

"Hey." He slid into the booth. Matthew was terrified about what Destiny might say. When they last spoke, he'd laid it all on the line. He'd told her that he wanted her to marry him one day…and then he left her alone with Jack. He expected her to call sooner than she had but she hadn't and now he was worried.

"Hi." She took a deep breath. "We need to talk."

"Yeah, I kind of guessed that's why you wanted to see me."

She nodded before pulling the engagement ring from her pocket. "Matthew, I've made a choice and I'm afraid I can't accept this." She placed the ring into the palm of his hand.

Matthew felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces.

Destiny continued to speak. "Dating Jack has taught me a lot about myself. It taught me that I need affection, not just behind closed doors, but out in public. I need to know I'm loved…not in a way that keeps me second guessing myself or the relationship I'm in, but consistently."

Matthew knew Destiny was right. He'd spent too much time flaking out on Destiny like the first time they kissed. Even though he was the one who kissed her, he pretended it didn't mean anything…for weeks. It wasn't until after he told her what he thought he did to Eddie Ford, after he tried to show her what she meant to him and realized that he failed horribly that he told her that she meant something to him. But he'd held his emotions in so tightly that he'd lost her to Jack. In his heart, he knew it was his own fault. He nodded solemnly.

Destiny continued on, "Before Jack, I didn't know I needed those things. Now, I know I need them from you." In her heart, Destiny knew Matthew was the one the moment she saw her locker full of pictures. It had always been Matthew, the two of them against the world…and sometimes the two of them against each other.

Matthew blinked slowly in disbelief. Destiny sounded like she was saying she was choosing him. "What are you saying, Des?"

"I'm saying that I'm going to end things with Jack…in a day or so. He means a lot to me, but he's not you."

"Then why did you give me this back?" Matthew looked once more at his Grandma Renee's ring.

"Because you were right yesterday when you said I'm not ready to wear it. We have a baby coming very soon and I need to spend time figuring out how to be the best mother I can be instead of worrying about being someone's mother."

"So wait, you're not choosing me?"

"I'm choosing to focus on giving this baby what she needs. She needs a mother who is not walking around with her stomach in knots because she doesn't know what she wants." She took a deep breath. "I love that you bought the condo in your parents' building, but I'm going to move back to my parents' house until I can figure stuff out."

Matthew nodded as he slowly tried to process what Destiny was saying. "So, what about us? What do we do while you figure stuff out?"

"We figure out how to be the best parents we can be…while finishing our last semester of high school." Destiny couldn't help smiling at the way Matthew stared at the table with a slightly defeated look. So, she decided to give him some hope. "And you might want to figure out how to propose for real because that sticking it in my hand and walking off is not going to work the next time. Got it?"

"Yeah Des," he chuckled, "I got it."

Later that evening, Destiny dressed for the Homecoming dance with Jack. Though she hadn't planned on ending things that evening, Jack knew her well enough that he could tell something was up. And then, in the car, after the dance, in what felt like one of the worst moments of her life, she had to reject the gift of Jack's heart and offer him her friendship.

Jack told her he was fine…and he avoided her for weeks…until he saw that she didn't take Matthew back. She kept her promise to herself to focus on her baby and how to be the best parent possible. Destiny moved back home and began preparing a place to the new addition to her family. Once he got over his anger, Jack did his best to be supportive. He still helped her with her Spanish homework and she still came to his hockey games. Still, even he couldn't deny what he saw brewing between she and Matthew.

As the months progressed, Destiny and Matthew spent more and more time together. He was at her side during Lamaze class and he helped her decorate the baby's room at her parents' house…in purple, of course. They spent time together at her checkups. And she helped him pick out furniture for his new place. On New Year's Eve 2011, exactly two years after he'd told her he only wanted to be her friends, he asked her to reconsider giving him a chance. He told her loved her…more than he knew was possible and he wanted to be there for her and their baby.

Before Destiny could respond, she and Matthew received the surprise of their lives when their baby decided to make an early appearance. Their baby also surprised him in another way when their baby girl turned out to be a baby boy. Vivian explained that ultrasounds weren't foolproof.

"I told you he was a boy." Matthew teased her as he held the baby in his arms and rocked him gently. The baby was a smaller, browner, nearly identical version of Matthew. "Wait and see. That's not all I was right about."

"Oh, what else do you think you were right about?'

"About us." He placed the baby in her arms and kissed her forehead. "You are going to marry me one day.

"You think so?" She blushed

"I know so." He kissed the baby on the forehead. "Isn't that right Shaun-David?"

"Shaun-David," Destiny repeated. "I like that. He's named after the two best big brothers in the world."

"Yeah…and hopefully it will help me get back on Shaun's good side."

It did. David and Shaun were thrilled with the baby's name…even if David did whine a little about his name coming second.

And though their last months of high school were difficult, Matthew and Destiny managed to pull it together. Jack remained a friend, albeit a distant one and that kept things reasonably sane at school. And though Destiny protested that going to Prom was silly given all that they had been through, Matthew insisted they go. He arranged a limo to pick them up, but they never arrived at prom.

Instead, they arrived at a private dining room in the Palace. The place was decorated with lavender roses and white balloons. Soft music played while they danced slowly in each other's arms. Then, when the music stopped and Destiny was expecting the song to change, Matthew dropped to one knee.

"Des, I love you. I've loved you longer than I was willing to admit to myself. We're soulmates. That's why I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

With tears streaming down her cheeks, Destiny nodded yes and folded herself into Matthew's waiting arms. It was then that he whispered in a slightly cocky tone, "Bet you were impressed this time."

Destiny just shook her head. Matthew was just being Matthew and she loved him for it.

"I love you, Matthew." She said it this time without any fear or reservation.

Then, just as she expected, he said it right back.


	17. Ending 2

_Okay, so this is obviously the Jestiny ending. I sort of fell in love with them when I was writing this story. I'll always love Matt/Des but I will also love what could have been. Anyway, I started writing this before the GH crossovers were announced, but after I knew Starr wasn't staying with the show. I do plan on writing one more Jestiny story (where Bratty Matty makes his return) if anyone is interested in reading it. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Thanks again for reading and for the replies. _

_BTW, I changed my profile picture to one of Jack/Destiny (Shenell E. & Andrew T.) so that any fans of the pairing could really picture them together._

_**Ending 2**_

Destiny sat in her office reviewing the latest in a series of lawsuits that had been filed against her employer. At 30 and only four and a half years out of law school, she held an enviable position as chief counsel for a major corporation: partly because of nepotism and partly because no one else wanted to deal with the boss.

Her office phone rang. Destiny answered in the same way as she always had. "Destiny Evans."

"Hello, Destiny Evans, this is Daniella Rayburn Manning Balsom," Dani giggled. "I was wondering whether you are free for lunch today?"

"Depends on the boss."

"Doesn't that man ever take a break?"

"Nope. Still, at least I know I won't miss Dylan's play." Dylan Buchanan was Destiny's baby girl. Actually, Dylan wasn't a baby anymore; she was in fifth grade.

"The whole town is going to make Dylan's play." Dani giggled. "I can't think of one person she's not related to or one she doesn't have wrapped around her finger."

Destiny's secretary Claudia stepped into her office. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the boss is demanding your presence in his office."

"Gotta go. I'll call you about lunch."

Destiny hung up and prepared herself to deal with the most difficult man on the planet: Todd Manning. When she arrived at his office, she found him doing the two things he did most: eating and pacing.

"Okay Todd, what was so important that you needed to see me right now?"

Todd smiled. He loved Destiny's spunk. She stood up to him better than most people twice her age. "I wanted to see what you thought of my latest story before it went to press."

Destiny propped her hands on her hips. "How badly are you going to get us sued this time?"

"Don't worry about it." Todd reached in his drawer and began to chomp on an apple."

"You pay me to worry about it."

"No, I pay you to get me out of stuff; not to worry about stuff."

Destiny rolled her eyes. There was one person to blame for having to deal with Todd and his nonsense: his son, her husband Jack Manning. Though she was only 30, Destiny and Jack had already been married 10 years. Destiny was happier than she ever thought was possible. She still wasn't quite sure how she got there.

While she was still pregnant with Dylan, she'd decided to stop focusing on her romantic life and start focusing on being a mother. She told both Jack and Matthew that she only wanted friendship from each. Matthew seemed to settle more easily into the idea than Jack. To her surprise, things didn't change after Dylan was born. Jack actually hung out at her parents' house. She was pleasantly surprised to see that Jack and her mom, Felicia, got along relatively well. They would play this game where Jack would sit on the counter while Destiny made Dylan's bottle. Then her mother would tell Jack to get his behind off of her counter…right before she offered to make him all of his favorites.

Felicia wasn't the only one Jack played games with. Although he and Destiny were only supposed to be friends, he would find a way to hug or kiss Destiny whenever her guard was down. He was relentless.

The fall after Dylan was born, Destiny began classes at LU. Mr. & Mrs. B. provided daycare and kept Dylan…whenever Destiny's mom and dad could be coaxed to let her go. Matthew wasn't much help because he got into Georgetown and actually decided to go. Still, he did his best to call Dylan regularly, not that she could say anything in response to him talking.

Then, just before Dylan turned one, a few days before Christmas, Jack managed to catch Destiny underneath the mistletoe and he engaged her in a deeply romantic kiss. Destiny could no longer deny how deep her feelings for Jack ran. Still, she wasn't ready to admit it to Jack. He was just a senior in high school and she was a single mom. Though Jack convinced her that it was only he was okay with the two of them being only friends. Only a few days later, Jack pulled a Jack-like stunt.

_Flashback_- Destiny was studying for a statistics course she was taking at LU. Mr and Mrs B. had been missing Matthew like crazy and they took Dylan to see him for a couple of weeks. Destiny decided to throw herself into school while Dylan was gone. On their first night out of town, at approximately 1:30 a.m. she received a phone call from a "drunken" Jack Manning. Necessity demanded that she get her license the year before, which Jack knew and he asked her to come and pick him up from a friends house. When she arrived, he reeked of alcohol. She drove him to LaBoule. When they arrived in the driveway, she glared at Jack.

"Jack, what are you thinking? You smell like a brewery. Why were you drinking? It's the middle of the week. "

"It's the only way I can forget how much I want to be with you "

"Jack you're 17. That's too young to be stuck with a child that's not even yours." She wondered how much sense she was even making to him with him in his current state.

"I'm old enough to figure out that my life is not the same without you in it. I love you, Snooks. Tell me you don't love me and I'll walk away."

Destiny remained silent and Jack inched closer until his mouth met hers. It was during the kiss, when she tasted Jack's minty fresh mouth that she realized he wasn't drunk. In fact, he hadn't even been drinking. She pushed his chest hard.

"You aren't drunk! You lied to me."

"Yeah, but you've been lying to yourself longer. I had to take drastic action."

"Get out of my car!"

"Snooks…"

"And don't ever call me that again!" Destiny didn't realize she was yelling until Todd walked out of the house. He and Blair remarried about a month before.

"Jack? Evans? What's going on?" Todd had begun calling Destiny by her last name when he would see her hanging out with Jack and Dani.

"What's going on is your son in a complete jerk. He just pretended to be drunk to get me alone and now he won't get out of my car."

Instead of yelling a Jack, like a normal parent would do, Todd began to laugh. "I can see why Jack likes you. You've got spunk." He turned to Jack. "You get points for creativity. Now get in the house."

"That's it?" That's all you're going to do?" Destiny leaned her head back against the car seat.

She was surprised when Jack exited the car and Todd got in. He was still laughing when he spoke.

"Look, Evans, you might as well give in. We Mannings mate for life. It's the reason my Shorty ran off with Cole and Hope and it's the reason Blair and I keep getting back together. You can keep trying to push Jack away, but for whatever reason he loves you and Beyonce. So, he's not going to give up. You might as well give in."

"He's too young for all of this." Destiny sighed in.

"Not if he doesn't think so." Todd shook his head. "You really have to stop spending so much time with Nora. You are starting to develop that same God complex she has."

"Leave Mrs. B. out of it."

"Whatever." Todd got out of the car and closed the door. Before he went into the house he said, "I'm going to like having you in the family. You have spunk."

Destiny thought about what Todd said and finally gave into Jack a few days later, it was the first of many battles that she would be engaged it when it came to Jack. When Nora and Bo learned about the renewal of her relationship with Jack, they questioned her sanity. Nora went a step further and questioned whether Dylan should even be around him. Surprisingly, it was Matthew who played peacemaker with his parents, after a brief telephone conversation with Destiny.

"So, you still love him?"

"I tried not, too." Destiny said quietly.

"I know." Matthew responded. "I'll call my mom off. I can handle her."

_End-Flashback_

"Evans!" Todd yelled, "Are you going to look at my mockup or what? And by the way, why are you still Evans? When are you going to change your name to Manning?"

"When Jack and I no longer live in Llanview. Until then, I will remain happily married to your son with my maiden name. In case you haven't forgotten, Manning isn't exactly a last name that wins friends and influences people in this town. And whatever you have under that sheet is probably not going to help that cause. "

"Wanna bet?"

Todd removed the sheet that revealed the cover of the Sun that read, "Publisher's Granddaughter Makes Amazing in Theatrical Debut." Beneath the headline was a smiling picture of Dylan and Todd. Destiny felt her eyes water. Then the reality hit. Dylan's family situation was like walking a tightrope; everyone coexisted the best they could. Still, Bo and Nora generally hated Todd. Todd hated Bo and Nora. Todd and Tea generally stayed at each other's throats and Matthew, when he was in town wasn't exactly Jack's best friend. At least the relationship with Jack and Todd had improved over the years.

Destiny sighed, "The Buchanans are not going to be happy with you calling Dylan your granddaughter."

"Like I care." Todd and Dylan had grown close as a result of Starr and Hope leaving town. "If Bo and Nora hadn't raised a deadbeat."

"Knock it off, Todd. Matthew is Dylan's father and he's not a deadbeat. He just lives in another state, which is fine because she has an amazing stepfather." Jack was an amazing stepdad to Dylan. He taught her how to ice skate, presumably so he could teach her hockey, instead she learned to figure skate.

"How amazing is Beyonce's stepdad?" Jack suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Really amazing." She beamed at him. He returned her smile. Both were astonished that ten years after they first connected they were still crazy about each other. She moved to his side. "When did you get back?"

Jack had parlayed his hockey skills into a professional hockey career. He was fortunate enough to play for the home team. Still, he had been on the road for the last three nights, which Destiny hated. She ached for him when he was gone.

"Half an hour ago."

"And you came straight here?" Destiny gushed.

"Yep." He kissed her forehead.

"Alright guys, knock it off with the mushy stuff."

Jack laughed. Then he moved closer to Todd. "Destiny's right, Dad. The Bukes are going to flip at this. How about another headline?"

"What could be as good as this one?" Todd genuinely loved Dylan. She was as spunky as Destiny and twice as girly…if that was even possible.

Jack smiled. "How about Publisher to Become a Grandfather Again?"

Todd took a moment to process before hugging them both. Then he reverted to his old gruff self. "Evans, this better not mean you intend on bilking me out of extra maternity leave."

"It does and I do." Destiny teased.

After a bit of prodding and plenty of promises that they would have their private time at home, Destiny convinced Jack to have lunch with Todd. She was just about to confirm lunch with Dani when she answered a call from a familiar number: Matthew's. He'd come home for Dylan's theatrical debut. He asked Destiny if he could meet she and Dylan for lunch. Destiny agreed.

As soon as Matthew saw the raven-haired girl with Destiny's eyes and his smile, he began to beam.

"Dad," Dylan rushed to his side. "I'm so glad you made it. Did Uncle David and Aunt Dorie come with you? Grampa Bo took me to see Uncle D's movie last week and he was really good. One day, I'm going to be his co-star."

Matt and Des looked at their girl and smiled as she talked nonstop. She was beautiful and confident and wonderful. Then Matthew announced that he'd be seeing much more of her. He'd grown tired of his life as a speechwriter. He was going to move back to Llanview and run BE. Dylan was thrilled.

Destiny worried that Matthew's return would put a crimp into Jack and Dylan's relationship especially with a new baby on the way. But that night after the play, after Dylan took her final bows, Destiny watched as her daughter introduced her friends to her two dads and her three sets of grandparents. And during one of those moments, while she watched her girl, she felt the familiar warmth of a strong set of arms.

"How do you think it turned out?" Jack whispered in her ear.

Destiny knew Jack was asking her opinion of the play. Still, she couldn't help thinking about the state of their lives. "I think everything worked out just perfectly."

He kissed the top of her head, something their height difference caused to be a regular occurrence. "Yeah, me too."


End file.
